The Conflicts of Haruhi Suzumiya
by Another Duck
Summary: A familiar individual comes back. Is she an old foe, or a new friend? Spoilers for the first season/book, with hints of events in Vanishment.
1. Prologue: One Girl

The Conflicts of Haruhi Suzumiya

A Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic.

Disclaimer: Haruhi Suzumiya and all related characters have been created by Haruhi without her knowledge. Tanigawa Nagaru wrote it all down.

Summary: A familiar individual comes back. Is she an old foe, or a new friend? Spoilers for the first season/book, with hints of events in Vanishment.

Author's Notes:

I read another fanfic which featured the same person. I've read a few, in fact, but none of them had just the plot I wanted. This is inspired by that fic, though I don't remember which one it was any more.

More in the ending notes.

/ Another Duck

* * *

Prologue - One Girl

* * *

Some days I should really just stay home. The excitement brought into my life directly or indirectly by the individual known as Haruhi Suzumiya is far more than I want. I just want to have a normal life. Is that too much to ask? That is to say, I wouldn't want to give up the life I have, it's just that, well, sometimes it gets a bit much. And sometimes, it's downright scary. This morning is definitely included in that last category.

Haruhi was bored, as she often is, looking out the window from her seat in the classroom. The clock showed that the lesson should've begun at that moment, but Okabe, our teacher, was a little late. Not late by much, though, as he soon entered the room. He didn't seem to be in a hurry or stressed out either, which would be very natural for someone who fails to be punctual. Rather, he actually seemed a bit happy, or even excited. Sure, there was a reason to it, and I was just about to find out.

"Good morning, class! Today, I have an announcement to make. A student has transferred to our school, and it was decided she would join this class, due to her special circumstances."

A feeling of dread washed over me for some reason. A transfer student joined us due to special circumstances, and in the middle of a week at that; now I wonder what the girl behind me would think about that. Actually, it was fairly obvious. I cast a glance back to see Haruhi's reaction, and it was just as I had expected. Eyes wide open and focused on the door. Likewise, Okabe turned his attention to the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and the silence in the classroom became even more pronounced than it used to be. To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. Terror would describe what I felt much, _much_ more accurately. The person who walked in was none other than Ryoko Asakura. I would say alive and in the flesh, but I'm not sure that would be entirely correct. Unless this was the _real_ Ryoko Asakura. That thought was quickly squished like a bug on the windscreen of a 747.

"Hello, everyone! It's so nice to see you again. How have you been?"

If that was not the same one as before, the one who got deleted, she sure seemed to have the same memories. I was still a little out of it at the time, but I remember that she spoke about how she had missed Japan, and that her parents allowed her to move back on her own.

I'm not an easily surprised person, at least not any more, so when she mentioned she didn't quite like the cold of the Canadian winter, I merely raised an eyebrow. She had disappeared, and by that I mean erased from existence, literally, before Nagato had created the cover story about Asakura moving to Canada in the first place. These Data Entities, or Interfaces was perhaps more correct to say, were probably aware of each other to a much greater extent than I had considered. I made a mental note to speak with Nagato about that.

Even if Okabe was excited, he couldn't let her speak forever and take up more class time, so he asked her to sit down. While there weren't many empty seats, she still chose the one she used to sit at. No one had taken that seat the entire time, which was strange now that I thought about it, despite several seating shuffles. Just before she sat down, she gave me a wink. Gah. She might've just thrown a dagger at me. I looked away, and class begun.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thus ends the prologue. This is mainly just a teaser chapter for the story. It won't be half as long as my Avatar fic, but it probably won't be much shorter than that either, if things go as planned. That is, unless the characters get their own ideas. That tends to happen. Chapters will vary in size, but will be longer than this one.

I wanted to put Ryoko, Kyon, and Haruhi as the main characters, but that's not possible here on ficnet. Kyon is the narrator, so he's obviously in. Ryoko is the least popular out of these three, so her name can just stand to come up a little more, hence why she's in as well. Haruhi demanded to be in the title as compensation, as she's an equally important character. If you like the rest of the brigade to be very visible, this probably isn't the fanfic for you, even if they do show up.

Kyon's narration is making me crazy. His direct thoughts are in present tense, but his narration is in past tense. And there's nothing that differs them other than context. That's probably going to be the most common error in this fic.

/ Another Duck


	2. Three Meetings

The Conflicts of Haruhi Suzumiya

A Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic.

Disclaimer: Haruhi Suzumiya and all related characters have been created by Haruhi without her knowledge. Tanigawa Nagaru wrote it all down.

Author's Notes:

As you see, this chapter is longer, and more the size I prefer, compared to the prologue. Actually, this is probably longer than I suspect the rest of the chapters will be. Depends on how I divide them. Anyway, I give my thanks to the so far two reviewers, and the favourites' listings. But for now, let's get the show on the road.

/ Another Duck

* * *

Three Meetings

* * *

At lunchtime, after eating my meal, I had this sudden urge to go and check my shoe locker. I couldn't get that note she left me last time out of my mind, so I had to see for myself that history wasn't repeating itself.

Naturally, it was. There was a note in my locker. It was almost exactly the same note, with only one small difference. The words, "you don't need to come alone." Imagine that. Asakura knew I wasn't comfortable being alone with her. Scratch that sarcasm. Of course she knew. She may not have had a firm grasp of how humans perceive death, but she could handle herself socially. How else would she get to be the most popular girl in the class? It was one thing that separated her from Nagato. Another was my trust for the girl. Which made her the obvious choice to ask to accompany me.

I won't say I was exactly calm, but Nagato's presence in the brigade room did help my mood. She was alone as well, so there were no annoying girls who could hear what wasn't meant for their ears.

"Yo."

"..."

Our standard greeting was soothing as well.

"Hey, Nagato, you know Asakura has returned, right?"

A slight nod.

"Do you know why?"

I decided it was best to get straight to the point. That was usually the best way to hold conversations with her, unless I just wanted to talk about random things, but then there really was no point to get to in the first place, so it was irrelevant. Anyway, small talk wasn't her forte.

She shook her head.

This worried me. I mean, I was confident she would do everything she could to protect me, so I wasn't afraid of that. However, the thought of Nagato not knowing what another Interface had as her goal was worrying. Would she try to kill me again? Was I in any kind of danger? Well, probably, but what kind?

"There's no need to worry. She is incapable of physically harming you or Suzumiya. Furthermore, she is incapable of lying to you."

Huh. This is interesting. Is she harmless?

"How do you mean incapable?"

"Her body will shut down."

"You mean she will, um, die?"

"No. Only her physical body will cease to function."

"For how long?"

"She will remain in such state until she is granted permission to take physical action."

"So you're saying she'll remain like that until the Integrated Data—"

"No. You have been granted access to limited control over Ryoko Asakura."

Things just kept getting more and more interesting. Was this some kind of punishment for Asakura for her previous actions?

"Limited control? What kind of control?"

"It's better that you speak with her about this issue. She possesses more information. She is safe under the current circumstances. I will be informed if they change."

I nodded at her. I got the feeling that if the conversation were to continue, I would stop understanding, or it would go in circles. I must admit, though, it made me feel a lot better about Asakura, but I can't say I wasn't wary of her. However, my trust in Nagato exceeded that, so I made up my mind to meet the long haired girl later on. Besides, I think she wouldn't give up if I didn't come, and it would probably be better to not annoy her if I could avoid it.

I was back in the classroom just as the bell rang, so I didn't get to speak with Haruhi. She did seem to be in an awfully good mood, though.

* * *

I didn't walk to the clubroom that day. Haruhi dragged me there, so the way I got there was more akin to a kite in stormy weather. It was one of those rare days when the lovely Asahina wasn't dressed up as a pretty maid. Our dear, dear brigade chief was far too excited for that.

"Listen up! I'm sure you're all aware of how Ryoko Asakura has mysteriously shown up again. It's our job as the SOS Brigade to explore that mystery!"

There was no stopping this girl, but you knew that.

"Yuki, does she live in the same place as before?"

She lifted her eyes up from her book and gave the crazy one a calculated glance. Then she nodded, after which she decided her book was more interesting than the current event. It was a grey book with a partitioned sheep and yellow text that was too swirly for me to read. I can't say I blame her. She was the wise one, after all.

"Great! Now, all we have to do is to get there and see if we can find any clues about why she left."

That's all? Only breaking in this time? Well, we've done that before.

"Don't get smart with me, Kyon, or I'll assign this duty to you alone."

I'd rather break into your house, thank you very much. Actually, that sounds like a fun idea. It would give you a taste of your own medicine.

"We're leaving now."

Wait, now? But I have to...

"Haruhi, isn't it better that we, you know, talk to her first? Then we can find out if—"

"If what?"

She stuck her nose much too close to my own. It was almost like an Eskimo—ahem. Back to the topic at hand.

"Would you rather rush blindly into her apartment, or try to find out what you should search for first?"

Standing up, she drew her one of hands to her chin, putting up a thoughtful expression. So she actually listened to me. For once. It took her a few seconds to decide, so I got to at least breathe out.

"It's decided. Tomorrow, we ask her about Canada, what she was doing there, and why she went there."

Apparently, that was enough for our meeting, as she left promptly. Thank God. Or was that thank Haruhi? I sure hoped not, as I didn't want to thank her for still having a crazy plan, even if she relaxed it for a day. I sighed in relief.

"I'm going to leave as well."

I might as well get it over with. It's nagging me the wrong way. What would happen if I skipped out on it? According to Nagato, no physical harm would come to me, but I'm sure Asakura could do worse than that without having to resort to violence.

As I rose, I noticed Nagato giving me a nod to go on ahead. She always took care of me, didn't she? Someday, I need to tell her how much I appreciate it.

* * *

With not a little apprehension, I opened the door. I really didn't know what to expect. After all, Asakura wasn't exactly a normal human being. In some ways, she actually was human, but only physically. How they fit the mind of an all-powerful computer in that body was beyond me.

She wasn't the first thing I saw when I entered the classroom. On the bench closest to the entrance was a combat knife. Asakura herself sat in the far corner, at Haruhi's desk, appearing to distance herself from the entrance. Or perhaps, from the knife. This made me very uncomfortable, but I couldn't say if it was because it creeped me out, or because it seemed like a friendly gesture coming from someone I really didn't expect it from. Or wanted from.

"I was not sure you would come. I know you disagreed with my actions last we met, but—"

"Why is there a knife here?"

I cut her off. I distinctly remember exactly the same kind of knife in her hand. Swinging at my throat.

"I thought you might feel better if you were not unarmed. I do not wish to kill you this time, so please think of it as a peace offering."

This was one mighty odd offering of peace. But, it made sense, in a strange way. These people thought logically, not emotionally. I picked it up and examined it, not forgetting the other person in the room. I can't say I was completely reassured yet. But if she did speak the truth, and Nagato said Asakura couldn't lie, I was safe. At least for the moment.

If anyone would've entered the room at that moment, they'd see me slowly approaching an innocent looking classmate wielding a knife. That would be so troublesome for me. At that instance, I felt the weapon growing lighter, and I saw dust particles surround it, much like around Asakura the day she was deleted. In less than a second, it had disappeared from sight, and God knows where it went.

"I see that you do not wish to harm me either."

At my questioning look, she elaborated. She certainly was more talkative than her bookish counterpart.

"The combat knife has been deactivated as you did not wish to use it. If you change your mind, you can activate it at will. If you harm me with it, it will be difficult for me to heal, as I have configured it to be an effective weapon against myself."

"Why would you do that?"

It didn't make any sense at all. Why would anyone construct a weapon to use against herself?

"I want you to feel safe."

There was a very final tone to her voice. Out of everything she had said so far, this came out as the most honest and heartfelt. I couldn't help but believe her, despite our past. Trust, or feeling comfortable at all around her, not so much. She's still the same person who tried to kill me.

"So I could essentially kill you with it?"

"Yes and no. You can damage my body permanently, to the point where I would need to be restored by the Integrated Data Thought Entity to come back to this world, but it would not grant me that permission one more time, so I would be dead as you see it. To do so, you would need to strike at my brain, since I can heal as long as that is intact. The knife can penetrate my skull easily."

How weird is to hear someone give you advice in how to kill her? On a slightly different topic, there was one thing that bugged me, and had been since first I saw her.

"Nagato deleted you before, so who are you really?"

"An informed question, but difficult to answer. I am who you see. To you, I am the same Ryoko Asakura as you knew before. More specifically, I am a backup copy who has been modified slightly due to the problems we encountered last time. The modifications include, but are not limited to, restrictions from harming you or Haruhi Suzumiya, and from telling you untruths. You are aware that lying to Haruhi Suzumiya may be necessary to conceal our true identity, so I retain the capability to lie to her.

"Due to these restrictions, I have also been granted an upgrade to be able to learn more about human emotions. That was my personal wish, as there were concepts you demonstrated that I did not understand. That also includes an additional restriction to my data access clearance."

More talkative indeed. Well, Nagato could also lapse into expositions like this one, if she feels something needs explaining. I can't say I understood all Asakura said, but she did have a way of explaining things a little more clearly than some annoying philosophers I could mention.

"I apologise. I did not mean to bore you with all this information."

"No, it's okay. I'm used to it. You just... talk differently now than you do in class."

"As you are aware of my true identity, I can relax my speech protocol and choose more exact words."

That's a relaxed speech pattern? It sounded far more cumbersome to use, though considering just what she was, it sort of made sense. I honestly wish you'd speak like a normal person. It would make it easier to forget who you truly are.

I could detect a faint frown at that moment. I'm guessing this was a point of pride for her, or at least something similar. It seemed as if there were nerves I could hit.

"I do not wish for you to misunderstand me. Is there anything that is unclear?"

Lots of things, but I'm not sure what to ask. You certainly seem to be frank enough, and I'll admit, you've made me feel better about your presence. Better, not good. But then, people all around me have hidden agendas, and I can't be sure if you have one or not.

"What is your goal here? Why did you return?"

"My goal regarding Haruhi Suzumiya has not changed. In addition, I wish to learn more about humans. There are notions about you I do not understand, such as your concept of death. If you would allow me, I want to talk with you about that from time to time."

"I'll, um, think about it."

It was creepy enough to talk with her like this. Do I have to do it more than this? Can't she find someone else to talk with? I mean, she's pretty and all, but she did try to kill me. It's hard to forget.

That reminds me.

"There is one thing I would like to see for myself. Hit me."

She blinked. It was the first time today she showed anything but pure confidence.

"Why would you want me to hit you? It does not make sense."

"Just do it."

Walking up to me, her face remained slightly confused. It was an odd expression on her, even if I've seen it before on rare occasions. Once within an arm's reach from me, she raised her hand and punched me lightly on my shoulder. Then she just stood there.

"You didn't shut down."

"No. You gave me permission to hit you, which overrides the restriction on my actions."

"Are you saying that you could just as well have punched a hole through my shoulder?"

"Yes."

Huh. That would have been unfortunate, and quite frankly, I felt like I dodged a bullet there. Still, I wanted to test that restriction out. How to do that? Well, they are being very literal.

I took her hand in my own, which returned the confused expression to her face. She didn't resist, and seemed mostly curious. I then angled her fingers and pressed them against my arm, so her nails would hurt me. Not much, but a little. Almost immediately, her eyes shut down, and her legs gave out.

It was something I should have been prepared for, but it still caught me off guard. Her hand was still in mine, and I managed to hold onto her so she didn't fall down on the floor. If I hadn't known what was going on, I'd have panicked. I knew she was all right, so I wasn't worried.

Wait, worried? Should I have been worried about someone like her? I suppose it's a natural reaction when you see a beautiful girl just fall unconscious like that. I mean, she does look innocent. Even when she attacked me with a knife, she looked innocent half the time. Not trace of ill will on her face. But now she also looked very vulnerable, and that was not true back then. It didn't help that she actually was vulnerable like this.

Now, if you've known me for any amount of time that involves Haruhi, you could easily figure out what happened next. The door to the classroom opened. And just like the time with Nagato in a very similar position, Taniguchi walked in. You'd think he'd learn to knock or something before entering, but no, he waltzes straight in.

"Yo—"

We stared at each other. Then his eyes went to Asakura, who was now lying in my lap. Then he stared at me some more.

"This seems strangely familiar. I'll be going now."

That he did. I sighed. I wondered what he would think of it, and if I should come up with an excuse. I could think about that later. I still had someone in my lap, and I think she wouldn't want to be unconscious any more. Now, I was supposed to have some sort of control over her, and Nagato mentioned that specifically in this context. I didn't know exactly what to do, so I tried the first thing that came to my mind.

"Asakura, wake up."

Her eyes opened. It was that simple.

"I feel strange. I had not told you what to do if I was shut down, so I did not know if you would be capable of switching me on. It made my chest ache a little. Your presence lessened the feeling."

She was worried? That's odd. When Nagato deleted her before, she cheerfully wished me good luck, and that wasn't a fake sentiment. She may have been a little disappointed when she realised Nagato had won their battle, but that was all emotion I remember her showing. This girl sure is a mystery, maybe even more so than Nagato.

"There is much I want to learn. I did not have these feelings before, even if I knew how to detect them in others. Do you think what I described is odd?"

"Ah, no. It makes sense. You were worried that you'd remain asleep, because you feared there was no one who would help you."

I don't know why I tried to explain it to her. I didn't really think she deserved it. I mean, I still held some rather negative feelings for her. Yet, she wasn't the same person any more, was she? It was strange. I didn't quite know how to relate to her. I've learned that Nagato could be rather difficult to understand, and sometimes it was just better to keep silent. She'd still know what I meant, and how I felt. I think, anyway.

Asakura, however, brought out other feelings. She was the most popular girl in the class, and likely is again, so there must be something about her that brings sympathy in others. I'm not sure I particularly wanted to feel sympathy for her, but I wasn't that keen on keeping my hostile view of her either. I mean, I even get so tired of being annoyed with Haruhi all the time that I welcome the times when I don't have to feel that way, and when she's actually pleasant to be around, rare as it may be.

Back to Asakura, who was... Oh, right. She was still lying in my lap, and apparently not feeling uncomfortable at all about it. I lifted her up so she could sit on her own, and I rose to my feet. I had been getting a little stiff there, so I stretched a bit. She soon followed, although she didn't seem stiff at all. _Perky_ would've been a better word.

"That was Taniguchi before, correct? I remember him as one of your friends."

I was about to say a word or two about him being my friend, before something else struck my mind. It was what Nagato said about Asakura earlier today.

"I didn't realise you could still see him."

"My eyes were closed, but I could hear him. If I am put in that state, I am not what would be equivalent to being asleep. It is more accurate to say that I am paralysed. As I experienced recently, it is not a state I wish to be in. I would be grateful if you did not put me in it unless there is a need for it. At the same time, I am grateful for the experience, even if it was a negative one, so please do not feel bad about it."

I wasn't sure I could take much more of this ambiguous image of her I was creating. I needed time to let it sink in.

"I see. Well, I need to be going home now."

"Wait. If you have any further questions, please give me a call. Here is my number. Do not worry about the time when you call. I can answer no matter if it is in the middle of the night or during class."

She placed a small note in my hand. All that was on it was a phone number. Her explanation made me wonder whether she took her calls in an actual phone, or if it was some kind of mental ability she had. Probably the latter.

As I was walking home, I entered her number into my cell, thinking about the day. It had been fairly average as far as my stranger days went. It was actually easily comparable to my first days once Haruhi decided to start the SOS Brigade, when the three other members introduced themselves. This time, it was another of those Interfaces of the Data Entity thing. Only, I had met her before, and she wasn't quite as she was then. Sort of. I was still trying to make sense of it all.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting. Haruhi had promised to question Asakura about her alleged trip to Canada. Hmm. That might be fun, actually. For once, the person she was bothering wasn't someone innocent, and she certainly could handle herself. As long as she doesn't drag me into it.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thus ends the second chapter of the story. The part with Ryoko explaining everything was the first scene I wrote for the story. Everything about her personality evolves from there, as what she shows in the series is mostly just a mask, but also who she really is. It's hard to explain, but her personality isn't straightforward, and can be interpreted in a lot of ways. There's something she isn't, and that's crazy, though. The old cliché, "she's not insane; she's just misunderstood [by fans]," actually fits. She's clearly rational and logical. She just doesn't follow human standards.

I should note that as a review incentive, I respond to all reviews with content (provided you signed in to review). That is, everything that's more than, "Yay! Awesome!" or, "Boo! Worthless!" Doesn't matter if it's a positive or negative review. Or if you just want to chat.

Lastly, I don't have a beta-reader, if anyone's interested.

/ Another Duck


	3. Seven Cookies

The Conflicts of Haruhi Suzumiya

A Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic.

Disclaimer: Haruhi Suzumiya and all related characters have been created by Haruhi without her knowledge. Tanigawa Nagaru wrote it all down.

Author's Notes:

Time for a new chapter! I could have finished this up a little earlier, but I was swamped at work, so I was too tired when I got home. Still, I prefer a solid schedule over a random one whenever the chapters get done. Even if they're of uneven length. But then, I never write to accomplish a certain length. I write what I think should be included in the chapter, no matter if it's one or twenty pages. Anyway, onwards!

/ Another Duck

* * *

Seven Cookies

* * *

I never learn, do I? Of course Haruhi would drag me into this. Well, I'll get to that later. She was unusually quiet during the day, but she disappeared at lunch as she normally does anyway. Her mood could best be described as dangerous. It wasn't obvious to the casual onlooker, but to anyone who'd spent enough time with her, myself in particular, it was quite clear she was up to something. And that was dangerous. Always.

Exactly what she was up to wasn't clear until after school. It was a Friday, so we didn't need to worry about homework. Or so Haruhi said. She'd say anything to get us where she wanted us to be. The rest of us were already gathered in the club room when she showed up. I wasn't terribly surprised to see Asakura trailing behind her, but saying I was pleased would be in the wrong ballpark.

"Hello, everyone!"

The greeting Haruhi received from the rest of the brigade was less cheerful than her own. It really said more about her greeting than about ours. Why was she always so awfully cheerful anyway? It was often exhausting just looking at her. If she hadn't been easy on the eyes, I'd turn my mine away from her in a heartbeat.

"Mikuru, serve our guest some tea."

"Y-yes, of course."

"Ryoko, please sit down."

The girl in question took the seat, which was directly opposed to the one Haruhi chose for herself. Our fearless leader was acting rather polite for once, emphasis on _acting_. I knew she had manners hidden deep inside that springy body of hers, but it was still an odd sight. Something else that was odd was that Nagato joined us, sitting down beside Asakura. I was fairly certain it wasn't for moral support, even if anyone facing Haruhi could use it. Except maybe the very person sitting there at the moment. Once we were all seated and served a cup of angelic tea, Haruhi began.

"Welcome to our club! This is Itsuki Koizumi, our second in command, the one next to you is Yuki Nagato, and on your other side you have Mikuru Asahina. Kyon and myself you've already met."

"Hello, everyone! It's so nice to meet you all."

That greeting had the exact same tone as the one she used for the whole class yesterday. Most of the words were the same as well. It was probably programmed into her that way.

She was all sunshine and happiness, but that was to be expected. She already knew what was going on, and was certainly not worried about disturbing our resident God, despite actually knowing what she was capable of. That made one of her.

"I heard about your club before I left, but I always wondered what became of it. I know the Student Council wasn't your greatest fan, but I'm glad to see that you're still around. What have you been up to while I was gone?"

Clever girl, taking command of the conversation directly, and not letting Haruhi in on anything. Hmm, that's a good idea, come to think of it. I wonder if she would be annoyed if we chatted about our own activities rather than asking Asakura about her time in Canada? I made the somewhat hazardous decision to find out just how much I could stretch Haruhi's patience this time.

"We've done a lot of activities, like the time during the summer vacation, when we went out to a deserted, well, nearly deserted island, and were involved in a true murder mystery."

"That sounds exciting! What happened?"

From that point on, I said a lot more than what I said most entire weeks, maybe even months. It was almost as much as I monologued silently. I described many of the events we went through as the SOS Brigade, from the sports events to the paranormal ones, and the school festival which had bits of both mundane and fantastical. Of course, with Haruhi in the room, they were all censored versions, so I don't know what Asakura actually could figure out. If she already didn't know, that is, but she at least acted as if she had never heard a thing.

During our tales, I cast a few glances at Haruhi. At first, she was stunned that someone had hijacked her interrogation session. I don't think she was as much speechless as she was just trying to be polite about it considering our present company, though. After that, she began to glare at me. Subtly, or so she thought. I'm not sure anyone would've missed that, especially someone as perceptive as Asakura.

For a while there, I was a little worried that Haruhi would do something drastic, but once she noticed that my tale was, shall we say, _biased_, she interjected her own comments to the stories, and eventually got caught up in them and talked a whole lot herself. After all, the brigade meant a lot to her, so people had to know the truth about us. Or at the very least, at least as far as it was beneficial to us.

I lost track of time. Most of the time I spent in the club room on normal days was basically about waiting until I could go home. This time, I didn't even realise it had gotten late enough for us to go home. Who did keep track of the time wasn't surprising, on the other hand.

"You've really done a lot in this club, and I'm actually a little envious of it. I'd want to hear more about it, but it's getting late, so I think we should leave the school now."

"But you haven't told us about Canada yet."

It was probably a little too late for me to say anything about Haruhi being direct to the point, due to the rather long time we've been chatting about our own activities, but once that distraction was no longer an issue, she was back on track, full speed ahead like the freight train she usually acted like.

"Oh, my, if you wanted to hear about that, why didn't you just say so?"

If the tea I was drinking at that point hadn't been made by the goddess of the brigade, I would've spat it out. I could just imagine how Haruhi's eyebrows twitched at the question, and I must say, the mental picture was hilarious. I didn't even dare to look. Asakura's perfectly innocent face was the final drop. Okay, so my mouth didn't actually spill over in laughter, but it sure felt like it.

"I have an idea."

Uh, oh. I never thought those four words could sound even scarier than when Haruhi said them. But then, Asakura was actually scarier than Haruhi herself, just being who she was.

"Why don't you all come to my place for a cup of tea? It'll be like a house-warming party!"

"That's a great idea! We'll be glad to join you!"

Of course you'd think it would be a good idea.

"I, um, I need to go home now. I'm in a hurry."

I didn't expect Asahina to speak up, and certainly not to leave when there was a club activity about to happen. I had barely reflected upon that before the door shut, and she was out of sight. Once I gathered my wits and recovered from my disappointment, I realised that it was actually rather easy to figure out why she had left. She had enough trouble with Nagato as it was, especially when it came to being at her place. Asakura was the same type of being, but had a slightly more violent history, to say the least. Of course Asahina would be terrified of her, and following her home was out of the question.

"I'm afraid I have similar engagements to attend to. I apologise, but I must take my leave."

Koizumi too? Is he up to anything, or is it just his organisation that demands his attention? Or do they just not want to get involved with the other faction? I could never tell with him. Not that I particularly wanted to.

"Kyon, you don't have anything to do now, do you?"

That wasn't a question. That was a threat. Of course I didn't have anything to do, and Haruhi probably knew that, but that wasn't the point. I just shrugged. I didn't want to give her the full satisfaction of me actually agreeing with her.

"Wonderful! Take care, Koizumi."

Asakura bowed politely to him and went outside to wait for Haruhi and myself. How would I get myself out of this kind of trouble?

* * *

All of us knew where Asakura lived. However, Haruhi didn't know we knew that everyone knew that we knew where Asakura lived, so we still pretended not to know anything we weren't supposed to, and that Asakura was the only one who did know. On occasion, it was amusing to keep Haruhi out of the loop, but most of the time it was just a pain. I often wished I could just tell her about everything, so I wouldn't have to lie so much. It usually got me into more trouble than it was worth.

I wasn't sure where Asakura was on that particular point. She did want a reaction out of Haruhi, but if she wanted it badly enough, she could just reveal it all. That wasn't something that seemed to be her plan, though. If it was, she would likely have acted upon it already. She wasn't one who delayed needlessly.

However it may have happened, we ended up in Asakura's home. It looked just like Nagato's apartment, only with a mirrored room layout, and furnished with more than the bare necessities. It actually looked like a girl lived here. It was probably more feminine than Haruhi's room, though I hadn't been there, so I couldn't compare. It was just a feeling I had.

The blue, flowery curtains gave the room a soft feel along with the sofa and large rug in front of the television. On the bookshelf were several porcelain cats and angels. At the top were several awards to give an impression that she actually had a past. And, naturally, a lot of books.

It was also obvious she had just recently moved in. Or rather, it gave that appearance, as she probably could have set everything up perfectly the moment she stepped in through the door. There were a few boxes on the floor, and parts of the room were completely bare.

"I apologise for the mess. I've not had time to finish unpacking everything. Please sit down, and I'll prepare some tea and cookies."

As soon as she was outside normal hearing range, Haruhi started whispering. I'm still fairly certain Asakura could still hear her, though, if she paid attention.

"This girl is totally suspicious."

"What's suspicious about her? I just see a normal girl who's recently moved here from Canada."

"You don't get it. She disappeared from our class with no notice or trace at all, and just as quickly appeared again, from nowhere. I tell you, something is up with her. We just need to figure out what's not right with the picture here."

"Assuming anything is wrong with it in the first place."

It felt odd, defending _her_ like this. But right now, it was also about talking back to Haruhi. That I was far more used to. It wasn't the lying part I enjoyed. It was the disagreeing part. With few exceptions, it could almost be put down as a rule that whenever Haruhi had an opinion about something, it was something I was opposed to. In an odd sort of way, it was one of the things that made the time spent with her bearable.

Haruhi said a few more things, but they weren't important. She merely sounded paranoid, even if they were after her, I mean, even if she was right.

"Here's your tea."

Thank you for announcing your presence so we can stop whispering about you, and leave Haruhi with the belief that you didn't listen in on the whole discussion, meaningless as it was.

There was a brief time of silence. I didn't mind it. Asakura likely didn't either. Haruhi sure didn't, or she'd have spoken up long before it even became quiet. Nagato hadn't said a word anyway. If you didn't look, you wouldn't notice she was there at all.

The tea had a subtle taste. It made it hard to describe, but it was slightly bitter, although not to the point where it was any kind of a discernible taste. The cookies were a bit bland, on the other hand. A little sweet, but not nearly enough. Or at least, that's what I'd like to say. They were bland, yes, but they also suited the tea very well. Almost as if they had been made especially for the occasion. Yeah. Imagine how that adds up.

"So, how long ago did you come here?"

"Just two days ago, in the evening. I had barely time to get ready for school, but it helped that I already knew my classmates and how to get around in this neighbourhood."

"Did your trip go well?"

"The flight itself was no trouble, but there were some delays, so I had to wait two hours for the take-off. And honestly, it's a little bit scary to fly alone. There are so many things that can go wrong, and you don't have anyone to take care of you if something happens."

She sure was spinning this tale fairly well. If I hadn't known the truth, I'd have been fooled even if I suspected something was wrong with it. I doubt Haruhi could find anything to pin down on her.

"Where in Canada did you live?"

"In Mississauga, which is lies just south-west of Toronto. I heard there are parts of Canada that are supposed to be colder, but I didn't like it even there. I can't believe that people actually want to live there. I suppose if you like golf, as they do have some neat golf courses. I didn't get good at it, though, and I prefer skiing anyway."

Skiing? It wasn't hard imagining her cruising down a snowy slope with her hair trailing behind her like a banner of grace. For some reason, long hair just went so well with skiing. But there was something wrong with it.

"Didn't you say you didn't like the cold? How come you like skiing, Asakura?"

Success! Well, compared to any human, she didn't react at all. However, compared to Nagato, whose feelings I could with some accuracy be called an expert on, Asakura basically rebooted and sputtered for several minutes. Or maybe not; I was just happy about having broken her perfect façade . But she was clearly embarrassed over having been caught in a lie, even if she knew I already knew it was a lie.

"It's not so cold when you're moving around."

She reached over and touched my shoulder when she said that. Damn. Score's tied at one-one. It gave me some serious shivers, although I didn't show any. It wouldn't be a good idea to let Haruhi see that. Or maybe I just didn't want that.

"Your body gets hot when you get excited."

Wait, is she flirting with me? That's just creepy. Please move away. But there was something strange about it. For a moment there, I could see her blink in confusion. I had no idea why.

We continued to talk for a while, before it became too late to remain there. And by _we_, I mean Haruhi and Asakura, and by _talk_, I mean interrogating. Asakura didn't seem to mind, though. She actually seemed amused by the whole situation. I couldn't fault her for that. I was amused as well. It was always amusing when Haruhi didn't get what she wanted, as long as it didn't go out over me. I probably spoke too soon, but I was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

That was all the way out of the flat, down the elevator and out of the building. During that, Haruhi was abnormally quiet.

"I think she likes you."

No, that's not it. She remembers that I spoke about certain feelings she doesn't understand. That's why she wants to talk with me. I resisted the urge to slap my face with my hand, but then I realised how it must've looked like to Haruhi.

"Do you like her?"

"What? No way!"

Of course, I couldn't tell her why, so I hoped she just wouldn't ask.

"Why are you even asking that?"

She bit her lip thoughtfully. I couldn't make sense of her mood at all. It was as if she was weighing several options against each other, and didn't like the outcome of any of them.

"What are you thinking about?"

"N-nothing!"

Weird. She was very rarely this uncertain. The only other time I could think of I've seen her like this was—no, I wasn't going to think about that one.

"You were planning something."

Why did I ask that? Okay, it wasn't technically a question, but I did bring it up. She had actually shut up, and I had to be so stupid and get her talking again.

"Well, if you spent some time with her, she might reveal something we can use."

Are you asking me to go out on a date with her?

"I'm not asking you to go out on a date with her! Just... try to find out what's up with her. I know she's not normal. I just know it. There's something I just can't put my finger on, and it's killing me not to know about it. It's so frustrating!"

Of course there's something wrong with her. She's a psycho killer. Well, maybe not psycho; she just doesn't know what death is. The end result is still the same.

"I'm not going to go out with her."

"Good! You're still spending time with her, though."

That's our Haruhi in a nutshell. Sometimes there's just no point in protesting. Well, at least the weekend started tomorrow, so I get to sleep out. But who am I kidding? Haruhi is going to call me and tell me we're having one of those look-for-weirdness meets.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thus ends the third chapter of the story. It's always fun to have people foil Haruhi's plans, and here Kyon teams up with Asakura. This chapter also where the real plot starts, and where I'm starting to insert more subtle details that may or may not be important later on . Which is the real plot, you ask? I dunno. Ask the characters. I don't have anything planned. Well, I have scenes planned, and some scenarios, but this story will intentionally be developed by what feels natural. But fear not, it's not going to be abandoned.

/ Another Duck


	4. Eleven Espers

The Conflicts of Haruhi Suzumiya

A Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic.

Disclaimer: Haruhi Suzumiya and all related characters have been created by Haruhi without her knowledge. Tanigawa Nagaru wrote it all down.

Author's Notes:

I had a hectic week, so I could only get started on this during the weekend. But I'm not one to let the schedule slip more than I have planned to. Sort of. On with the fic!

/ Another Duck

* * *

Eleven Espers

* * *

"Kyon, meet us at the usual spot in thirty minutes."

Yep, that was Haruhi calling. It is now Saturday, and we're going to have an activity. Never saw that one coming.

Twenty seven minutes later, we were all gathered. Well, that's what I thought, anyway. Asahina, Nagato, Koizumi, Haruhi, and myself were there. But a certain someone was still waiting. A horrible thought crossed my mind. And a horrible vision crossed my mind. Actually, not just my mind. It crossed the street right in front of me.

"Hey, Ryoko, over here!"

I wasn't going to stay silent over that.

"Why is she here?"

"I told you yesterday."

That's all the explanation she gave me. It's also all I didn't want to know. I was hoping she'd forget about that idea.

"Now that we're all here, we can start our search for the supernatural. As we're now six people, we can divide evenly into three groups. Yuki, you'll go with—"

"Don't we usually draw straws for this?"

I could easily see where she was going with that, so I had to stop her. Of course, she returned my impeccable suggestion with a glare. However, she did actually comply and pulled out a handful of straws from her pocket. Well, at least she came prepared. And at least now I have a chance to go with Asahina or Nagato instead.

* * *

A snowball's chance in hell. Naturally, I ended up with Asakura anyway. Great. Now I have to spend a few hours in her company. Haruhi had told me to explain the procedure we normally followed. For some reason, she trusted me with that. I have no idea why.

I had tried to get away from Asakura once we were out of sight from Haruhi. No luck there either.

"I am glad we ended up going together."

I'm not.

"Did you have something to do with that?"

"Yes."

She paused. Not that anyone who wasn't me would notice, but she paused. Why would she pause at a simple question?

"That is odd. It took me longer to come to an answer than it should have. I will run a diagnostic program."

There was something about her choice of words that rang out, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it.

"Do you know about all the upgrades to your system?"

It wasn't that I wanted to speak with her, or that I was interested at all in the subject, but knowing how someone worked would be a benefit if she planned to kill me again. I remember what it took for Nagato to defeat her before. Even if I was armed to the teeth, I'd never be able to keep up with that speed. I was just lucky Asakura didn't go all out on me from the start.

"No. That is likely the problem. The diagnostic program revealed no errors. Do you think this makes me more human?"

"Huh? How do you mean?"

"Humans are not aware of all that is going on inside of their bodies. When I was here last time, I was aware of everything about myself. Now it is different. I also notice some reactions I cannot make sense of. This is why I wanted to speak more with you about it."

I put my hands behind my head, and tried to see if the clouds objected to my answer. I hoped they would, but I couldn't see that they did.

"I suppose it might."

"You don't like me."

The statement threw me off a little, but I don't think I showed any reaction. It's hard to tell with someone who's as perceptive as she is, so she might have noticed something I didn't. Of course I didn't like her. She tried to kill me, after all.

"Would you have liked me if I had tried to kill you?"

She didn't answer immediately. And as if that wasn't weird enough, she put her hands behind her head, and raised her gaze towards the skies. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a human reaction from her before, or at least one that wasn't just acting on her part. It was odd, but only because of who she was.

"That is a good question. I do not have an answer for it. The previous me would not have cared. I cannot anticipate how I would react now. I do not understand how you perceive death, but I believe it is one thing that makes you feel alive. I am not alive. I exist. You humans live out your lives from beginning to end. My existence as an individual has been going on and off as time has passed, and even time is not constant for me. I have memories from the past, but they do not feel as if they are mine, personally."

Was she philosophising? She's speaking almost like Koizumi does, only not as annoying.

"What about last time you were here?"

"You are right. That was me as well. I have not apologised for that. Is it sincere to apologise for something I fully meant to do at that time, and would do again if the same circumstances were to occur?"

She hadn't changed at all? Was she still the same killing machine as before?

"Wait, you mean you'd still kill me if you got the chance?"

She gave me a funny look, as if I had sprouted pink bunny ears.

"I believe you misunderstood me. By the same circumstances I mean _exactly_ the same circumstances. I no longer have the same will to do so, nor the same memories or knowledge."

Huh. So that's how it is. However, she did still try to kill me. It's not something I'm going to forget about any time soon.

"I'm not sure I'd forgive you for that anyway."

"I see. It makes me feel a little sad."

"I didn't know you felt sadness."

"I have not felt it before, but it seems to be the appropriate description of what your words made me feel. It is not something I want to feel more of."

It was always so weird when I thought about it. This girl was fully capable of acting in a social situation and become popular, and would probably not have that much more trouble with it even if she wasn't pretty. Despite all that, she didn't actually understand human emotions. Or at least, she couldn't relate to them, even if she could interpret them. And now she was trying to learn. It's almost as if she wasn't as bad I as thought.

We spoke more about various subjects relating to humanity and her lack of it. It wasn't the best way to spend the morning, but I did feel better with her being distracted by something that didn't involve how Haruhi would react if I was hurt or killed.

Speaking of Haruhi, it was probably time to get back to the café soon. It was a little bit early, but that wasn't something I was particularly bothered by. Besides, I was hungry.

We were the first couple to return, and at my insistence, we ordered something to eat immediately. And no, I don't mean couple in _that_ way. I'm almost afraid of thinking of the mere thought of it. Anyway, Asahina and Nagato arrived a few minutes later. I wished that could have lasted longer, but Haruhi and Koizumi had to show up too, another few minutes later. Oh, well. At least I wasn't paying. For once.

"Kyon, you're paying."

Of course, Haruhi didn't get that memo.

"What? I wasn't the last person to arrive this morning. That was Asakura."

"True, but she's not a part of the club. She's a guest, which means you're paying."

Asakura cut in there. It made sense, though, as she was back to her social persona, who didn't have any unusual speech patterns or thoughts concerning her own humanity.

"It's okay, I can pay. After all, you're being so kind as to show me what your club does."

I almost thanked her out loud. It was a relief not to be paying. And a first. Even if Haruhi had been the last one to arrive when the rest of the club didn't come. Speaking of that...

"Haruhi, remember that you still need to pay at least once, as you were the last to arrive after that day you put your hair up in a ponytail. You said you didn't have any money then, but since I paid, you owe me for that time."

I'm immensely pleased I told her that. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an approaching car, to use an old cliché. It was obvious why, when she cast a nervous glance at Asakura. Obviously, Haruhi didn't want to look bad in the guest's eyes, and not paying would be a bad thing. Of course, that was exactly my intention.

"Fine! But I'm only paying for you. The rest of the club was absent then."

She took out her frustrations through her glare at the people she referred to. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes, and I would have apologised to Asahina, but it would only break the moment.

"I'm sorry!"

"I apologise, Miss Suzumiya."

Naturally, Nagato didn't say anything. Or react. At all. Haruhi's glare stopped anyway. She had something else on her mind.

"So, did anyone find anything unusual?"

"I saw three time travellers, eleven espers, and one alien. Present company excluded."

All of us stared at Asakura. Well, other than Nagato, but she never stared at anyone. At most she glanced. Haruhi broke the short silence.

"Um. Are you sure?"

I wasn't sure I wanted to let her answer that one, so I did it myself.

"She's kidding."

"Kyon, don't put her up to those things."

"He didn't—"

"It's okay, Asakura. You don't need to protect me from Haruhi."

My stomach almost turned when I said that. Why did I protect her anyway? I need to stop being naturally antagonistic towards Haruhi when it's for the benefit of someone I like even less.

Haruhi just glared, but there was something behind that glare that rubbed me the wrong way. No one said anything for a while, but the silence wasn't that uncomfortable anyway. Or maybe I just thought no one but me saw it that way.

Either way, the lunch eventually ended, and we set off again. This time I had the dubious luck of being graced with the one and only Haruhi Suzumiya's presence. She was noticeably upset about something, although that wasn't all too unusual. I didn't like the idea of spending the day with a sour Haruhi, so I decided to throw her off balance, in case that would help. It would be funny whatever happened, though.

"Haruhi?"

"What?"

"Thank you for paying for my lunch."

As I predicted, her angry face melted away to make room for a slightly more confused one, with a faint blush included as well. After all, it was hard to stay mad at someone who thanked you for something, especially for someone like Haruhi.

"It was only because I didn't pay that other time."

She pulled her hand through her hair and looked away to compose herself.

"Anyway, now that Ryoko isn't around, you can tell me what you've found out about her."

"I can honestly tell you that she doesn't appear any less human than the last time I saw her."

That was true. Asakura had acted a little bit more human this time around. Well, besides her public mask. Even so, that mask wasn't very thick. It wasn't as if her personality changed or anything. Just that she lied about having feelings. Or certain feelings, anyway.

"So you didn't find out anything useful?"

To say that Haruhi was disappointed would be fairly redundant for anyone who knew even the slightest amount of information about her. On the other hand, she did seem as if she expected something like that. She was intelligent, even if slightly off the ground. Though one could actually say she was perfectly sane, as most of the insane stuff she talked about actually existed. Aliens, time travellers, and espers. She may have created them, but if she did, they'd pale in comparison to herself, which would make her belief in those beings sane.

"Most people don't spill their innermost secrets just like that, you know. I've known you for far longer than I've known Asakura, and I know you have secrets you won't tell me. For that matter, I'm not sure you even know my real name."

"I do know your name. I just like calling you Kyon more."

"Well, I keep secrets from you too, and I'm fairly sure you wouldn't want me to tell you them either."

"Why not? Why wouldn't I want to know that?"

"Because you'd probably already have found them out if you really wanted to. I mean, honestly, swear-to-God wanted to, and not just felt like it because you're curious. That's why I won't tell you."

"But that doesn't make any sense!"

"Do you trust me?"

I knew she did trust me, to an extent. She didn't trust my words all the time, though, so I wasn't sure she'd go along with this, or just get angry. However, I just had this feeling that this was something I needed to say. Besides, if she did find out the full truth, and that I knew about it without telling her, now I at least had covered that base.

All things considered, she didn't respond. That meant she probably did accept it, but wouldn't admit it out loud. Well, that's sort of common for her. She does have her pride. I've seen her react in similar ways before.

We walked in silence for a while. When she didn't say anything, or didn't pull me anywhere, she was actually quite pleasant to be around. Like Asakura, she was one of the better looking girls in school. And Asahina. And Nagato. It was one of the good parts of the SOS Brigade, come to think of it. Too bad Koizumi had to be there and ruin it. It was just too bad Haruhi's inner self wasn't as beautiful as her outer shell.

Now that it was on my mind, there were several similarities between Haruhi and Asakura. They were both pretty. Both had occasionally scary personalities. Both had a frightening amount of potential strength. And both of them wanted me around, for their own reasons.

"Do you think... you'll find out more if you get closer to her?"

"Sure, I'll find out lots of stuff. I just don't think it's anything you would be interested in."

"Well, I think you should try. I'm not giving up this time. I'm going to be in this until the end. I've sacrificed too much to give in now."

Says you. I'm the one you send in to storm the machine gun. I'll either have to follow those orders, or face execution for mutiny. I just don't understand the people who'd rather face a certain death over an uncertain one, though. I'd rather have a chance at surviving, thank you very much, however slim it may be. What have you sacrificed, anyway?

She started, and gave me an uncomfortable look. Then she just shook her head and went on.

"I know I'm stubborn, and that I'm not always right, but this time... I just can't get it out of my head. There's something off about her. It's like she's my personal nemesis without actually opposing me."

She crossed her arms to shut out all arguments about that. It was almost as if she wasn't sure of herself, but she always was. I wonder what she was thinking about, other than the obvious. There had been a lot of things on her mind lately that I couldn't make sense of.

Nothing noteworthy happened after that. Haruhi dragged me around to various places, though with less enthusiasm than usual. That didn't mean she was low spirited. No, she seemed content, if only for the moment. Honestly, she was much easier to be around like this. Less need to worry about her outrageous plans or warped views, and more just being with a normal girl called Haruhi Suzumiya. Why couldn't she be like this all of the time, or at least most of the time?

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thus ends the fourth chapter of the story. It's somewhat evenly split between Haruhi and Ryoko, which is fair, I suppose. On the other hand, Haruhi also has most of the rest of the series. I don't have much to say about this chapter, other than that it's of the type I'm usually not that good at. Casual conversation, where nothing in particular happens, unless you know what's to come. It's one of the challenges I set for myself while writing this.

/ Another Duck


	5. Eight Emotions

The Conflicts of Haruhi Suzumiya

A Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic.

Disclaimer: Haruhi Suzumiya and all related characters have been created by Haruhi without her knowledge. Tanigawa Nagaru wrote it all down.

Author's Notes:

I'm going to be clear about one thing that I borrow straight from the light novels: Everything is Kyon's perception, as he's the one who's telling the story. That means things may not actually happen how he sees them, and people may have different motivations than how he interprets them. A good example from the last chapter was when Ryoko told Haruhi about what she'd seen. If it was meant as a joke, if it was serious, or even both isn't something that's revealed, as Kyon didn't have time to fully analyse the situation. Either way, it's safe to say that Ryoko knew that Haruhi wouldn't believe her.

/ Another Duck

* * *

Eight Emotions

* * *

"Kyon!"

I turned around to see who was calling for me. It was Monday of next week, and it had been fairly average as far as my days are concerned, with the slight exception that I went home a little earlier from our brigade meeting, mainly since Haruhi for once couldn't think of something to hold me up with.

The person was who I thought it was, as her voice was distinctive enough. Ryoko Asakura. She had become a far too large part of my life lately, and as I'd eventually find out, it was only the beginning.

"You do know that we have a test coming up the next week?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I've seen your grades. They're not good."

"Thanks for sparing my delicate emotions with that blunt proclamation."

"I am sorry if I hurt your feelings. I did not know you had that much pride in your school work."

It was hard to tell if she was sarcastic or not. However, that wasn't a trait of mine she shared, so I think she was sincere. She was right as well. My grades weren't that high. She was also wrong, though that wasn't her fault. I didn't particularly care about those grades, as I didn't really plan on climbing further up on the ladder of education.

"I am a bit worried about your future. If you do not have good grades, you will have it harder to advance once you graduate. I have decided to offer you help to study for the test."

"What if I don't want any help?"

"I know that Suzumiya wants you to get closer to me so that you can find out more information about myself."

Nothing escapes you, huh?

"I believe that this would be a plausible excuse for us to meet up. It would also aid me greatly in learning more about human concepts."

"Why don't you ask someone who isn't me? I mean, sure, I know your big secret and all, but so do Asahina, Koizumi, and, well, Nagato may not be a good person to speak with about this subject, but that's at least two other people."

"Asahina is terrified of me. You now that, and you do not want to make her uncomfortable. As for Koizumi, I am not sure I can trust him. I do not like him. Out of everyone in this school, I have determined that you are the best choice. Besides, I also enjoy talking with you, even if you do not share that sentiment."

Unfortunately, that made all too much sense. I really didn't want Asahina to suffer as much as I think she would if she had to spend even a full hour with Asakura. This was one hit I'd gladly take for Asahina. Or maybe less gladly and more proudly.

I suppose I could relate to Asakura when she said she didn't trust Koizumi. I don't trust him all the time either, and he's supposed to be my ally. For someone from a different faction, it was quite clear that he wasn't the most trustworthy person around. Not to mention, I didn't like him that much either.

This girl was about as intrusive as Haruhi, but was actually logical in her arguments. It made it hard for me to defend against them with my own logic. Not to say I didn't have any counter to it.

"The problem with that is that it will only disappoint Haruhi in the end. I don't think it's right to give her hope where there's none."

I didn't actually care about that particular point regarding Haruhi. Sure, I didn't like it when she was in a bad mood, for various reasons, but I had no problems disappointing her with my version of reality.

"I admit that you have a point. However, she is correct when she thinks I am not normal. I do not mind if you tell her about me. Truthfully, I would like that. But I do know that you are trying to keep that secret from her, and I do not want to cross your feelings again. Therefore, I will not tell her about myself."

"Have you decided you feel bad about that now?"

And by _that_, I meant _trying to kill me_. It wasn't something I was keen on saying out loud, but she was intelligent enough to understand what I referred to.

"I suppose that is one way to describe it. I do not quite understand it, but it feels counter-productive when I consider the current date. I am trying to follow my feelings, but that concept is new to me."

"As long as you don't decide you want to take out your frustrations on any of my friends I'm fine with it. If Haruhi heard this, she would probably give you a lecture on how an AI getting emotional can spell disaster."

"I would like to think that I can learn from my mistakes, no matter how reasonable I thought them to be when I did them the first time. I think it makes me feel less selfish, since I like how it feels when I do something good for someone else. That is also one reason I decided to help you with this. As the class representative, I do have a responsibility for the students in our class. A part of that is making sure no one gets lower grades than they have the capacity for, and I know you are much more intelligent than your grades would imply."

"Fine, you can help me."

She'd probably never shut up if I didn't agree. As what passes for a robot, what kind of stamina did she have, and how could I possibly match up with that? Also, it wasn't as if I hadn't done worse things. Haruhi tended to come up with those, although I usually ended up trying to solve the problems with the rest of the brigade.

"Thank you. I'll try to appear less like the girl you don't like, and more like someone you could consider a friend. I'm not sure if will help, but I'm willing to put effort into that if there's a chance it will."

It was an odd statement. It was as if she believed putting on an act would be better. Maybe it would, but only on the surface. She was still who she was, and that was the end of it. Still, she was trying. It was somewhat hard to imagine her trying something and not being good at it. Like Haruhi, she was good at pretty much everything she put her mind to. Like Nagato, she probably didn't even need to learn those things either. So, how come she was only trying, and not doing?

We ended up going to her home. I had planned otherwise, but I was not sure I wanted to introduce my sister to Asakura. Or maybe it was the other way around. I'm not sure of that either. I do know that I didn't want to invite her too far into my life, though.

Unlike the last time I was here, the boxes had all been packed up, so it looked like she'd lived longer than just a few days, if you didn't account for how clean it was. There was absolutely no dirt anywhere. You could drag an operating table in here and it would be ready for surgery. Or build microchips.

Just like the last time I was here, Asakura served tea and cookies. They tasted a little more this time, so they went down rather fast.

"Are you going to start with the homework or not?"

"I didn't know you were so eager to start."

She said that with a giggle. Like homework was something to giggle over. Well, for her, it just might have been. I wasn't going to comment on it, though. While I was usually lazy with getting things done, at this point, I just wanted to get it over with.

* * *

It went surprisingly fast, actually. It probably helped that Asakura had the entire course material up there in her brain, plus any and all courses above it. Maybe even including university level art classes.

"I'm surprised."

"You're surprised? That's new."

"You're being unfair. I do get surprised on occasion. People react in ways I can't predict. I _enjoy_ not knowing everything. It makes things less static, and more interesting."

"And the rest of us normal humans prefer things to be safe and predictable."

"As you say, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. I thought you would appreciate the irony in that. By going against what humans want, I adhere to normal human wants."

"Could you please stop philosophising before it gets even more painful?"

"Are you saying I'm bad with sayings and paradoxes?"

"Exactly."

I had to grin at her. She pouted, and was actually quite cute as she quietly quoted my earlier words in a tone that was clearly sarcastic:

"Thanks for sparing my delicate emotions with that blunt proclamation."

She wasn't offended; that much was clear. I wasn't sure she could get offended. Well, there was that one time when she displayed a lack of fondness for how I didn't like her way of speaking, but I'm not sure that was what the reaction was about, or even if I just imagined it. But I suppose, I wouldn't like it if someone didn't accept me the way I was. On the other hand, this was just teasing.

"I didn't expect you to do this well. I knew you'd be able to do better than what you've shown in class, but I wasn't aware you could get your homework done this fast."

I had a retort on my tongue, but it just wouldn't come out.

"It's probably just thanks to you."

On one hand, her reaction almost made me regret my words, but on the other, the way she beamed was just so lovely I didn't care who she was, at least for that moment. It was just like the kind of feeling I get when Asahina smiles at me. Everything feels sunnier, without the sweaty hotness of the summer sun.

"I like this feeling. I do not know which it is, to any specific definition."

Sometimes, she was just silly and childish. Almost adorable. I decided to humour her.

"Try _pride_."

"Pride. Hmm. Yes, that fits my previous knowledge. Thank you."

"Well, I need to get home now. Thanks for helping me with my homework."

"You are allowed to stay for as long as you like. I don't mind."

"No, I really need to leave."

"There's one more thing I want to say."

"What's that?"

"I'm glad you're not afraid of me any more."

"I wasn't afraid of you."

Maybe I was, but I wasn't going to let her say that.

"I apologise, I didn't mean to insult you. You were guarded against me, if that's a more accurate."

I nodded. It was more accurate, and it definitely sounded better.

"If you're feeling more comfortable when I'm near you, it eases my mind."

"If that is all, I'll take my leave, then. Bye."

"See you tomorrow, then!"

Maybe I sounded a bit cold at the end there, but when I think back on it, I realise I probably did so as my usual defence mechanism. Hearing her notify me that I was getting more comfortable around her actually increased that feeling. I always had a suspicion that she was just waiting for me to take down my guard before attacking, despite the fact that she probably wouldn't need that in the first place. But when she actually told me about it, it was as if she let me know that she knew it, and didn't do anything because of it.

Maybe she wasn't that dangerous after all. Maybe she was as she claimed. It was probably around that point I stopped seeing her as a former enemy, and more like a part of the weirdness surrounding me, just like the rest of the brigade. And Tsuruya, who was almost part of the brigade anyway on occasion.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thus ends the fifth chapter of the story. I like the length of this chapter. It had a natural beginning and end, and it flowed rather well to write. It wasn't much that happened, but at least to me it was interesting nonetheless.

/ Another Duck


	6. Three Conflicts

The Conflicts of Haruhi Suzumiya

A Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic.

Disclaimer: Haruhi Suzumiya and all related characters have been created by Haruhi without her knowledge. Tanigawa Nagaru wrote it all down.

Author's Notes:

By now, I believe this fic has reached the half-way line. It depends on if any shocking swerves occurs or not, and whether or not the characters feel like goofing off. Which of the five or so endings that will happen isn't yet determined.

/ Another Duck

* * *

Three Conflicts

* * *

Nothing exciting happened the following week and a few days. Asakura had insisted to help me some more, so I had been to her home one other time. Haruhi hadn't done anything unusual either. She mostly just seemed to be cooking up the next crazy plan. I gave her a week at most until she tried to break reality the next time.

This day had only one class left: gym. Wasn't it enough that we had to climb up that bloody hill every morning? My stamina had already increased dramatically, so I didn't need any more exercise. I had become fit enough to do pretty much all of the weird physical jobs Haruhi gave me. Actually, come to think about it, it was sometimes more relaxing than not, as it meant she'd be less likely to give me something that was far worse. If I wasn't busy, that was usually inevitable.

We played dodgeball. The good thing about dodgeball was that if you were out, you could just sit and watch. Our class had been divided into two relatively equal teams, but by now, most of them were out. The only reason the teams were equal was that Asakura was back, as she was the only one who could keep up with Haruhi's fierce throws.

It didn't take long until there were only two people left in play. One with the ability to recreate the world, and the other with the ability to do pretty much everything else. As far as dodgeball duels went, this was probably as interesting as it would ever get, although out of all who watched, only I knew that. And one of the two players knew as well.

The rest of the class was into it as well, even if they were supposed to be out of the game. But then, it was fairly obvious, at least for the guys. I mean, who wouldn't want to watch two of the best looking girls in the entire school going at each other, no matter what the contest was?

I saw Haruhi often enough anyway, sometimes wearing even less than she was now, so while she was stunning in those gym shorts and sweater, she wasn't who caught my eye. Looking at the two sporting girls, it would be a difficult task determining who was the prettiest. They both had very shapely legs, so they were tied there. Asakura had a slightly better endowed upper body, but Haruhi was lithe and seemed a little fitter, so they tied there as well. Their faces were different, but it was still impossible to say one was simply better looking than the other.

No, what caught my eye was the long, flowing ponytail Asakura's hair was tied into. It was mesmerizing, in a way. Like that, she had even Asahina beat, as much as it pains me to admit. Though as I remember, Haruhi with long hair and a ponytail was up there as well. I wonder why I've never seen Asahina wear a ponytail, though. Better not think about that, though, lest I lose all sense of reality.

A loud screech interrupter my thoughts. As I focused my eyes again, I saw Asakura's left foot slide towards me, although she was still a few metres away. The problem was, her right foot was stationary, which caused her to fall down in a split. The problem with _that_ was that her knees seemed to be slightly twisted in the wrong direction. Added to all that, mid-fall, a ball bounced off her face, which caused her to crash backwards.

Even if I knew she could handle pain just fine, if she was anything like Nagato, Asakura did have more feelings this time around, and that fall did look rather painful, so I walked up to her to check if she was all right. I wasn't the only one with the same idea, so it didn't take long until the poor girl was swarmed by students and questions.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! I just twisted my leg a bit."

There weren't that many people who believed her, but they did give her some room. One of the individuals pushed her way through and knelt down in front of the probably injured classmate.

"Kyon, help me get her to the school nurse."

Of course, only one person would single me out and order me around like that. Still, Haruhi had the right idea. We pulled Asakura to her feet, though she rather obviously favoured her right side.

"Anyone who isn't on their side in five seconds will have to run laps around the school until class ends. Five! Four!"

Everyone who wasn't Haruhi, Asakura, or myself scattered at the words of our temporary gym teacher, Ito.

"You kids head to the nurse. If you're not injured, you come back here as soon as you get there."

We just nodded. All three of us at once, actually.

"It's been a while since anyone gave me a workout like that. Nice game, Ryoko."

That wasn't something you heard every day, and I resisted the urge to stare. Haruhi being nice and sporting? She even sounded sincere. Okay, she's been a little nicer lately, especially compared to before she cut her hair, or the early days of the SOS Brigade.

"You're quite good yourself, Suzumiya. I'll be looking forward to a rematch."

You, and the rest of the class, probably.

The nurse's office wasn't that far away, but it took us a while with Asakura jumping on one leg all the way there, even if she was almost carried.

"Let me get the door."

As soon as Haruhi left Asakura's side, the injured girl made an off-centre jump and landed on my foot, with predictable results. In one graceful move, she tumbled backwards, dragging me with her, as that was the one direction I wasn't prepared to counter. I'd have felt rather bad if I fell on top of her, so I tried to spin us around. Of course, that made her fall on me instead. When I tried to get up, I noticed that she wasn't moving at all. Did she get knocked out? No, wait, I just need to...

"Kyon, you idiot! How could you let her fall like that?"

I didn't do anything, though I doubt I can convince you of that. At any rate, the nurse was there with us, and carried Asakura to one of the beds. Despite her earlier words, Haruhi lent a hand to pull me up, although as soon as I put weight on the foot Asakura stepped on, I felt a little bit of pain. It wasn't as if I couldn't walk, but running would be more problematic. Or at least, that was what I was going to claim.

"I'm going to head back now. I'll tell Ito what happened, so you don't get into trouble. You'll owe me one."

Owe you for what? Well, I suppose that's how she shows how she cares. She could also just be trying to avoid any kind of gratitude. I ignored her. Things were easier without her anyway, even if they were more interesting.

"Well, well, it looks like your foot is going to be all right."

Oh, right, my foot. Almost forgot about that. It had been examined properly already, and I didn't even think about it. Haruhi was such a distraction.

"I would suggest you take it easy for the rest of the day, though. It's probably just a bruise, but it's better to play it safe. As for your friend here, I saw what happened. It's probably nothing serious. I'm going to finish up some work now. Let me know if anything changes with her."

He was probably just trying to calm me down. As if I wasn't calm already. Asakura could have a concussion or worse, for all he knew. What kind of a nurse was he anyway?

At any rate, I took a seat next to Asakura. Like the first time I saw her like this, she looked innocent and vulnerable. For a while, I wanted it to remain like that. It was easier on my mind to think of her like that, rather than as the alien she really was. But unlike before, she wasn't an enemy. Now she was just Asakura. Okay, not so _just_, but you get my drift.

"Wake up."

Her eyes opened. They immediately switched from relaxed to sloped down.

"I am sorry. I know you wanted out of class, but I did not want to hurt you."

"Isn't it irresponsible for the class representative to do something as underhanded as that?"

I saw something I hadn't seen before on her face. A faint blush.

"You did get to work out carrying me here, did you not? So, you can still claim you got to do some physical exercises."

"Wow. You're the first girl I've heard who implies she's heavy herself. That's not very lady-like of you, Asakura."

"I'm not a lady. I'm a Humanoid Data Interface who's nothing like a human."

She crossed her arms and nodded sagely to herself. I wasn't sure if she tried to convince herself that, or if she was making fun of herself. Or just arguing for the sake of arguing.

"Other than that you trip and blush like a regular, clumsy school girl."

She didn't figure out anything to say against that, so she couldn't really do much more than blush a shade deeper. It was actually quite fun to tease her, once I managed to break through her logic and defences. I should do that more often.

"I should just quit while I am behind. I am not good at this type of banter."

"Hey, now, no harassing the patients."

While admonishing, his voice was still friendly. It was almost as if he understood the way I often related to people. On the other hand, most of my quips were for my thoughts alone, unless anyone could actually read them, but I doubt anyone would want to.

"I'm a patient too."

"Yes, but you don't need any help from me any more. So, Ryoko, I don't see you here very often as a patient. What happened?"

While she was talking, he examined her leg, although I don't think he found much of anything. It wasn't as if she couldn't heal instantly if she wanted to.

"I just slipped a little during a dodgeball game, and twisted my knee a bit. It'll be all right tomorrow. And you saw when I tripped just outside here. I think I hit my head, but I don't feel anything from it."

"No nausea, no headache, or nothing else unusual?"

"Nope, not one thing. I'm as healthy as they come."

Her shiny smile emphasised her words.

"Well, I can't really do much for you now, so I'm going to write you both a note. Just be careful if anything feels odd, especially if you feel sick."

"Okay, I'll do so."

As we headed back to the gymnasium, I wondered if the nurse knew about her. He was a little too relaxed about someone who'd just gotten knocked out, even if there didn't appear to be any ill effects. Asakura had one hand on my shoulder for support, but was otherwise walking on her own. A question from the accident entered my mind.

"How do you feel pain, anyway?"

"It's not as bad as I'm led to believe when you feel pain, but I don't like the feeling. But I've learned that there are many things that are worth feeling a little uncomfortable for."

"How's your leg?"

"Technically, it's fully healed, but I'm supposed to be injured, so I'm just faking it. We can't have people believe I'm not human, you know?"

She winked as if she had just told me a great secret she wanted me to keep. Technically, she had.

"Do you have any weaknesses at all, or can you do anything?"

"Nope. None at all. I suppose I'm just perfect."

Her previous wink was accompanied by a wide grin.

"Just perfect, huh? Well, I'll find your weakness, and then I'll abuse it until you give up and admit defeat."

"If you manage to find such a weakness in me, do your worst. I'm sure I can take it."

It seemed like she's given up on relaxing her speech pattern, as she oh-so succinctly put it. Even if she slipped on occasion. She hadn't given up on her attitude, though. Well, she was more fun if she wasn't all nice and pleasant. Even if she still was, by my standards. Then again, my standards included Haruhi.

"Besides, it gives me an excuse to be close to you."

I wasn't going to react to that. Nope, not at all.

When we came back, the rest of the class was playing some kind of weird tag game, so everyone was involved. Well, it's not as if I had anyone I wanted to talk with anyway, so it suited me just fine. After handing the note to the teacher, I headed up to watch from the middle of the bleachers.

Naturally, Asakura followed me, though it wasn't as if she could do much else and still keep up appearances. While we walked, she waved happily to some of the girls in the class to show that she was mostly all right. No one dared to come and ask her how things were thanks to the loving supervision of our teacher. Which suited me just fine.

* * *

I don't know why, but for some reason, Haruhi insisted she took both Asakura and myself home. We were injured, she said, and it was her fault. Like she'd ever blame herself for something.

We didn't really talk about anything on the way. Anything interesting, in any case. Just about school, courtesy of Asakura, and about aliens, courtesy of the non-alien that wasn't me. I tried to sneak away to my home directly, but the ever perceptive Haruhi noticed that. I suppose it was considerate of me to not leave anyway.

As we waved at Asakura and turned down her offer for some tea, I prepared for whatever it was Haruhi wanted. It had to be something important, at least for her, or she wouldn't have gone out of her way to do this. On the other hand, if she just wanted to talk, why not do it at the club meeting? The one we didn't have today? This girl would never make sense to me. Though I'm not sure that was something I wanted either.

The strange thing, when we walked home, she was quiet. Uncomfortably so. Well, it was for her. I didn't mind the silence. It actually made it more pleasant to me. Why couldn't she be like this more often?

"You're not going to leave the SOS Brigade, are you?"

Where did that come from? I hadn't even thought about it. Talk about coming in from the left field, even as far as her own standards went. I just stared at her.

"You seem to be even less enthusiastic than usual. I don't know how you're different, but I can just feel it."

"Like you can just feel Asakura isn't normal?"

"Exactly. Is it because I pushed you towards her? B-because you seem to be more interested in her."

"What? I've not spent that much time with her."

"Well, she's pretty, and smart. She's even helped you get better grades. I saw the test yesterday. You've improved by at least a full grade. And why wouldn't you like her? She certainly likes you."

Because she's a bloodthi—. No, that wasn't right. It had been some time since I saw her as that. What was she to me anyway? I remember thinking the exact same thing about Haruhi when both of us entered her sealed reality. Haruhi had always been Haruhi to me, nothing more, nothing less. Which of course didn't say much, considering just who the individual in question was. There was also that nagging feeling it wasn't entirely true either, but it wasn't anything I wanted to dwell on.

But what was Asakura to me? She was a friend. That much I couldn't deny any more. She was also one of very few people who spoke to me because she wanted to, and not for some other reason. She didn't drag me around because I was useful. Sure, she did want something from me — knowledge about human concepts and emotions — but she wanted _my_ views on them, not anyone else's.

What Haruhi said wasn't wrong. I did like talking with Asakura. There was something interesting in the way she behaves. And she's quite pleasant to be around, once I got around our past. Maybe there's something there.

"If she really is as special as I think she is, she's more special than... never mind. Forget I said anything."

I realised I should say something, at least. It wasn't all that fair to Haruhi if I kept silent, and this wasn't one of those situations where opposing her like usual was the best course of action.

"I'm not planning to leave the brigade."

I saw a faint smile appear on her face, but there were still undertones of something I couldn't determine what it was.

"There are too many special people there for me to leave. Besides, where would I go?"

This time, she turned her head away from me, so I couldn't see how she reacted. I didn't give it much thought, though. For better or worse, I liked my place in the brigade. At Haruhi's side, with Asahina, Nagato, and even Koizumi. I liked it there. I had already chosen it over a normal life, so why would I go back on that?

"Asakura is special too."

I wasn't sure I was meant to hear that, but Haruhi wasn't the type to think out loud. I need to learn that myself, really.

"She is."

As we parted that afternoon, I was a little unsure of how she felt. Melancholic? No, that wasn't it. _Conflicted_ was a better word.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thus ends the sixth chapter of the story. I'm beginning to feel I'm sort of neglecting Haruhi, although this chapter makes up for a little of it. However, she's usually indirect (in her emotions, not in her actions), compared to Ryoko, so it's less apparent what Haruhi's going through, and what her thoughts are. She's also had the whole series to evolve, while Ryoko didn't have much.

This chapter was a clear case of the characters doing things I didn't expect them to, Ryoko in particular, so it turned out longer than I expected . Her sense of humour isn't something I've planned, but I suppose she's been influenced by Kyon. She's a little arrogant, but in a deliberately humourous way. That's going to bite her in the ass, though. That much I promise.

/ Another Duck


	7. One Weakness

The Conflicts of Haruhi Suzumiya

A Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic.

Disclaimer: Haruhi Suzumiya and all related characters have been created by Haruhi without her knowledge. Tanigawa Nagaru wrote it all down.

Author's Notes:

I've been sick the past two days, so this chapter is earlier than usual. I don't think I'll manage to crank out a new chapter during the weekend, though. Just read this one over again, and pretend it's a new one!

Aside from the prologue (and likely, epilogue), this is the shortest chapter so far. However, in my opinion, the content in it still outranks the rest of the chapters. Read on.

/ Another Duck

* * *

One Weakness

* * *

The days went on. Even if the test was over and done with, and even if I had improved, Ryoko continued to help me. Haruhi kept asking me if I had found out something new, but since I already knew the truth, there was really nothing new to be learned. On the other hand, Ryoko was acting more and more like a regular human, even when she wasn't wearing her mask.

Life had turned, for a lack of a better term, pleasant, for me. Haruhi still came up with the odd idea, but nothing major. We had gone on a few trips where there had been reports of ghosts and other supernatural events. At an abandoned villa, we found a family of raccoons. At a temple, it was a young priestess who had been up to a few pranks to increase the number of visitors they got. Naturally, since she also believed in spirits and claimed to have seen several, Haruhi got along well with her, and promised to come back at a later date.

All in all, it brought interesting events into my life, but there had been nothing life threatening, nor anything illegal. Well, other than breaking into the above-mentioned abandoned house.

One of our brigade meetings had ended, and I was wondering what I was going to do the rest of the evening. A poster on a store window caught my attention. It was about a film that had just been released on DVD. Since I hadn't seen it at the cinema, renting it was an idea that crossed my mind.

Just as I was walking out of the video store, I saw Ryoko walking across from the other side of the street. Somehow, I doubted it was a coincidence. There weren't many of those when she was around. Actually, there were very few events that could only be blamed on coincidences, considering the amount of reality manipulation the people around me were capable of, knowingly or not.

"Hello, Kyon!"

"Hey."

She narrowed her eyes and focused intently on any expression I might have shown her.

"You're planning something."

It wasn't a question. She knew me well enough to know I had something on my mind.

"I've rented a film I haven't seen yet."

"Oh, that sounds fun. Can I watch it with you? I'll provide snacks."

It was undeniably a good offer, so I took her up on it.

When we got to her flat, somehow, through some probably not so mysterious power, popcorn, crisps, and drinks were already ready, so it was just a matter of popping in the film, and start watching. It was as if the long-haired girl next to me was eager to start watching.

She didn't have that much crisps, so they were out after only twenty minutes or so. And naturally, she was hogging the popcorn. Someone was always hogging the popcorn, and that someone was never me. Well, as far as I could remember, anyway.

I accidentally brushed against her side as I reached for the bowl in her lap. It caused her to jerk away and give out a sound that for all purposes sounded like a faint yelp. She looked at me, confusion easily visible in her eyes, even for a normal person. It didn't look as if she was offended by anything, though, just clueless, which was a fairly rare look for her.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"When you touched me, I felt an odd sensation in my side."

Could it be?

"Are you ticklish?"

"I cannot be. I do not feel physical sensations the same way you do."

Well, there was only one way to find out. Before anything else, I took the bowl and placed it on the table. No sense in spilling that, should I be right. I touched her lightly again, slightly higher up this time, as that was a more common spot for people to be ticklish. Predictably, for me, anyway, she jerked away again with a gasp.

"Cannot be, you said?"

I felt a smirk creeping up on my face. She wasn't often wrong about things, so it was refreshing when those occasions appeared.

"I should have known about it before. Similar events have happened, and I have had no such reaction."

"Maybe I'm just that special?"

Teasing her was always fun, especially as it was a rare thing that it was even possible. She usually didn't react the same way as normal people, but now it was just adorable, in a way. I tried to tickle her again, but she grabbed my arm in an iron grip to stop me.

"Do not do that."

She tried to look defiant, but her words held some amusement she couldn't keep out. Her emotions really made her lose control of her otherwise perfect composure. But then, now I knew a better way of making her lose control.

"I believe I have found your weakness."

She didn't say anything at the realisation of what my words promised, but her wide open eyes, slack jaw, and vaguely paler-than-usual skin said it all. I'm positive she didn't actually say it, but at the same time, I could swear she said, "Oh, crap." I started to tickle her with my other hand, and she lost her hold on my first. With two hands again, I was at an advantage.

Despite that, she tried to show defiance and counter my attack.

"Let me see how you like it."

Unfortunately for her, I wasn't as sensitive as she was. She was now giggling like the regular school girl she appeared to be, unable to do much against me. She should have been much stronger, but for some reason, she couldn't use much of her otherwise considerable strength now.

I knew it wasn't because of her restrictions to not harm me, because she could hold me still without breaking them. And lying down on her back, she had enough leverage to at least push me away. No, either there was something odd about the way her body functioned, or she didn't mind this enough to make more than a token attempt at resisting. My guess was a bit of both.

"Stop! This is no—oh!—fair. My motor skills cea—ee!—ses to function prop—eh!—erly when you do that."

She could barely speak coherently, due to laughing too much and squirming uncontrollably. Of course, that only made me grin wider. Still, she had answered my question. She was good at that, as I never asked nearly as much as she responded.

"And you think you'll get off easier by revealing your one and only weakness?"

"Stop! Stop! My sensors are overloa—ah!—ding."

Under normal circumstances, I would stop when a girl told me to. However, she seemed to be enjoying herself just fine. I mean, she had never laughed this much before.

"I cannot sta—ah!—nd more of this. You have to... sto—oh..."

Apparently, she was telling me the truth. Not that I didn't trust her, but I didn't actually expect her to go limp. She was still clearly conscious, though, and didn't seem to be hurt. Just a bit out of it. Either way, that was my cue to follow her words and actually stop. It wasn't as much fun if she didn't react any more.

The look on her face was rather amusing. It wasn't as if she looked drunk, nor was she panting and out of breath like a normal person would be in that situation. It was more like a mix between semi-knocked out, and as if she had been spinning around in circles for a few minutes non-stop. It was almost as if her eyes were swirling around like an anime character's. Some sort of confused moaning sound escaped her lips.

"This feels so funny. I cannot make sense of it. How can something be so horrible, yet make you feel good?"

"Those are the mysteries of being human, I suppose. You look kinda funny, though. Are you all right?"

There was a very distinct blush creeping up on her cheeks. The significance of that wasn't lost on me. She must really have been out of it, as she never displayed this lack of control.

"Yes. I did not intend to make you concerned. I forgot to regain my visual focus. I forgot... that you were... so close..."

She was right at that. We were close. I hadn't thought of it, but the way I was currently leaning over and on her left little space between us. If I had been thinking more at that moment, I'd wonder over her loss of words. As it was, though, all I could think of was her eyes, and her lips. I don't remember if I leaned down, or if she pulled up, but I do remember that soft, sweet feeling. I didn't want it to end.

But end it did, and it had only just begun. Her head fell down, and came to rest of the couch cushion, dead still. I almost panicked for a moment, before I remembered two words:

"Wake up."

Her eyes opened. Her gaze was concerned and thoughtful, which didn't quite match someone who had just awoken. Also, it held disappointment.

"It appears that my restriction to harm you also includes kissing you."

Her composure was back. It was almost as if she had rebooted and gotten rid of all the scrap data and memory leaks her emotions had caused. Maybe she had, for all I knew.

"Why? I don't feel particularly harmed."

"I don't know."

"Well, I'm sorry I turned you off."

"That's not the choice of words I would make."

The amusement was clear in her voice, as she all but giggled again. The embarrassment was less so, but I could still hear it.

"But don't worry. You have my permission to continue even if I shut down."

"Err. That would be a little too weird for me."

It was around that point I realised that my back would start hurting if I remained in that position for any longer extent of time. I sat up, and decided to focus on the film for the time being. Or go back to a safer topic.

"It seems as if you couldn't take it when I found your weakness."

"No. I was utterly defeated there. It was so humiliating. Reduced to a giggling little girl, by a mere human. I shall have to be more careful around you in the future."

This time, I think it was more a matter of her letting go of her emotional control voluntarily, rather than losing it, as her embarrassment shone through. Considering she had been tasting other emotions with eagerness before, even the negative ones, tasting defeat was probably new and fascinating to her. I wonder if she would become less refreshing as a person once she's gone through most emotions. I hoped not.

Compared to the events that happened, nothing stood out for the rest of the evening. I would like to point out that it wasn't as awkward as I had thought it would be, though. I found it quite enjoyable, more so than I had expected.

I returned home rather late that night.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thus ends the eighth chapter of the story. This was most definitely my favourite chapter to write. It was fun having Ryoko completely helpless and out of control, as it contrasts so much to her usual stoic personality. It was actually one of the first chapters I wrote, and it's the one I've read the most times myself.

Oh, and just since I like details and mindscrews, how many of you thought of Ryoko's flat as looking exactly like, or mostly like Nagato's? How many of you thought like that while still remembering that it was supposed to be mirrored, like many apartments are designed? I remember coming home to someone who lives in the same building, and having to turn the other way to reach the living room. It's disorienting.

/ Another Duck


	8. Two Worlds

The Conflicts of Haruhi Suzumiya

A Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic.

Disclaimer: Haruhi Suzumiya and all related characters have been created by Haruhi without her knowledge. Tanigawa Nagaru wrote it all down.

Author's Notes:

I managed to get this done before the weekend ended, so here it is. I've still got a cold, but it's probably over tomorrow or so. Being sick gives you so much time you don't know what to do with it, since you can't do any of the active things you do usually. I just hope it doesn't reflect on my writing, as thinking isn't as easy if you've got a headache.

/ Another Duck

* * *

Two Worlds

* * *

I was in the club room, and it was lunch break. Koizumi was with me, but since it was only him, I decided to leave once I had eaten my meal. Just as I rose from my chair, he interrupted me.

"Before you leave, I have something to say."

What? I don't have the patience for your philosophical speeches.

"Have you heard the current rumours in the school?"

Do I look like the kind of person who spends time bothering about rumours?

"It appears that a majority of the students believe you have started to date Miss Asakura."

"So what? I'm not dating her."

"At this point, you should realise that it would be a bad thing if Miss Suzumiya found out about those rumours. And she has. Do you remember what happened that last time?"

Let's see, she left this world to enter her own sealed reality, took me with her, and planned to destroy anything outside of that reality. After that, the sealed reality would have expanded into a full world. It would have been the end of this world, and the beginning of the next. And it wasn't anything she did consciously, either. It was all just her innermost wish.

"Nothing that couldn't be fixed."

"I don't think you are treating this with the seriousness it requires."

He was beginning to grate on my nerves. He did have his bright spots, but when he was trying to lecture me he was at his lowest as far as I was concerned. He could fix this himself if he was so worried about it.

"If you think it's so serious, why don't you do something about it? You can start dating Haruhi, so she won't have time to be jealous any more. I know you have at least some feelings for her, so let them out!"

"Whatever I may or may not feel for Miss Suzumiya is not the issue here. The issue at hand is what she thinks about you and Miss Asakura dating, whether you are actually doing it or not."

"Well, I'm going to do what I've always done. _What I want_. I mean, it's not like I'll be erased along with the rest of the world, right?"

"I do not believe you are as cold as you imply."

"If you have faith in me, you'll let me be. If you don't, you'll have to take action yourself. And I think we both know what you'll end up doing. Goodbye."

* * *

I walked by a door that lead to the outdoors stairway. No one really used those on these days, as it was raining. I briefly wondered about if it would end before I went home. Somehow, it didn't look like it.

Outside that door stood Ryoko. She didn't seem to be getting wet, and whether it was because of the wind direction, or some power of hers, I didn't know. Out of curiosity, I joined her.

"Yo."

"Hello."

"What are you doing out here?"

"I'm watching the rain."

"Why? It's just water falling from the clouds."

"That's true. There are millions of raindrops, all different shapes and sizes. I can calculate the flow of the wind just by observing how the drops fall, as the smaller ones are blown about more easily. I can analyse what the chemical composition is in the drops, and how they're all different. I can determine the distance of the rainbow at the horizon based on the light spectrum the drops give. I can even count them."

Doesn't that remove all the mystery of it? Most people watch things like this because they look pretty, and take their breaths away when they can't figure out how those things can be created naturally. But you? I don't get it. You breathe, but I don't think your breath can be taken away like that.

"It's beautiful. The more I find out, the more I feel I can appreciate how special everything really is."

I couldn't relate to her words, but a light went on inside my mind. I think I understood her, even if she said very little. To know the science behind these natural wonders didn't diminish the beauty of them. Instead, it enhanced them. It's what made them magical. I wonder how much she must have changed to be able to appreciate beauty like this.

"I feel content, I believe you would say. And I think I'll be able to gather some new data from Suzumiya tonight."

Don't you start you too. I sighed, but I don't think she took any notice of it. Probably deliberately so.

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm curious as to how she'll react to the rumours. Koizumi told you about them. I'll be standing by to collect what I can."

I left her there. Lunch was almost over, at any rate. It seemed as if I had a long day ahead of me.

* * *

Great. The sealed reality happened after all. I guess Ryoko and Koizumi were right. I woke up on a very familiar bench in a very familiar park. The last I could remember was waiting for the rain to stop in the clubroom. With Haruhi. That hadn't been awkward at all. I suppose I should have seen it coming. Though I'm not all that surprised, so I probably did see it coming.

No one was around this time. No Haruhi, no Koizumi, and not even any of those weird giants. So, what was I supposed to do? Stay here or try to find anyone?

Staying seemed safe, at least for the moment. However, in this world, nothing really changed, and there was at probably only one other person around, unless the espers had entered the space. Or unless Ryoko wanted a closer look, although Nagato couldn't enter last time, and she's the stronger of the two.

So, moving seemed to be the better option. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life here. There was one direction that immediately sprang to mind. Whenever I woke up here on this bench, it seemed that there was a particular location I always ended up at. Haruhi's old school.

The gates were locked, so I climbed over them. The entire area was as shaded as the rest of the world, but while the edges of the school yard seemed darker, the whole area felt sort of pleasant, or at least inviting.

At one of the tables, I could see the figure of an individual. At her feet were a big bag of what I presumed to be chalk, and that chalk drawing wagon I used the first time I was here. If _here_ was the right word to use, considering just where I was. Out in the real world, it was supposed to be raining, while here the skies were grey and dry.

Compared to that other time, the girl was a head taller, and wearing her current school uniform. She noticed me, as I wasn't exactly a ninja who could scale anything and sneak up on anyone without a single sound.

"What are you doing here?"

She was in a bad mood. Normally, even if she wasn't in a positive mood, she didn't mind my presence. Something had to be done about that. I decided to go for the same deception I used before.

"Don't ask me. You're the one who dragged me into your dream, and you're the one waiting for someone."

"I'm not waiting for someone. I just... Never mind. So, this is a dream."

She said it more to herself than for my benefit. It did take the edge off her temper, though, so it was good enough for me. I knew I had to do something about the situation. I don't think I would like the reality Haruhi was trying to create.

But to do something I had to analyse her. It wasn't anything I had ever looked forward to. There was one thing that immediately sprang to mind, as I remembered how I had stopped her the last time.

"You're running away again."

"What? I'm sitting right here."

Do you have to be so literal minded?

"No, you're running away from reality."

"Running away from what? There's nothing left for me there."

"What about the SOS Brigade that you created?"

"What about it? Yuki is spending more and more time with the computer club, I've seen Koizumi less and less, and you... you're... I don't have anything left."

"I told you before. I'm not leaving. Get that through your thick skull. If I would run away at the same rate you do, I'd have left the brigade before it even started, and many times since. In the beginning, I didn't see anything for me there, and it was just a waste of time."

"Oh."

That was something she apparently, but not surprisingly, hadn't considered. It may have been a little harsh, but I think the contrast should have made it clear for her that I no longer feel that way, and cement my position in the club.

"Even so, it's not going to be the same."

"Why not?"

"Because I've..."

She trailed off, and bit her lip. I could see it wasn't anything she wanted to speak out loud about, but as far as I could figure it out, she needed to. Otherwise we would be stuck here, or worse. If I could make her go to the heart of the problem, I could probably solve it, or at least push her towards that direction.

"If you don't admit it, it's going to get worse."

She sighed. It wasn't as if she gave up, but she visibly resigned herself to admit something she probably was hesitant to admit to even herself.

"Fine, fine! I never knew my subconscious would be so persistent. It's not going to be the same, because I've lost you."

"Lost me? I'm not right here with you now?"

"And you're telling me not to be literal minded? Bah, you're not going to make this easy for me, are you?"

"No, that wasn't the plan."

It wasn't often I could get her to talk like this. She was usually much too closed down for anything even remotely personal, with only the occasional glimpse into her spirit, such as when she told me about that day at the stadium. It wasn't that I cared—actually, I did care. She was an important person to me, so yes, I cared about her. It was just something I had a hard time admitting to myself. I suppose I know how she feels now.

"I'm in love with you, but you don't love me. You're in love with Ryoko. That is what I've lost. I know she's just that much more special than I am."

You're what? After she said that, the rest of the things didn't quite register, even if I got the feeling I should have objected to those as well.

I knew she had some kind of feelings for me, but this? And I'm... not all that surprised, now that I think about it. I guess I knew, subconsciously. I just ignored it, or denied any knowledge or recognition of it.

What else? Oh. I wasn't in love with Ryoko, but I knew it probably looked like it, if the school rumours were anything to go by. They were based on public perception, after all. Though the thought wasn't frightening. Love was not something I had considered, despite that film night, so I really didn't know what to feel.

"Haruhi, she's the second most special person I know. But even if I met time travellers, aliens, or espers, there could only be a single individual at the number one spot. No matter who I fall in love with, that individual can only be you, Haruhi Suzumiya. You're just that special."

She had always liked that word. Special. Like it meant everything in the world. This was Haruhi's world, and it went where she went. So where did she go? An old memory, of the first time she met me, even if I had met her at a later time before. Or however you phrased it. Time travel was confusing. But why did she go here?

"But why didn't you choose me?"

I had several answers to that, although most weren't all that strong if I thought about them for more than a moment. Once upon a time, they might even have been too weak in the end. However, I needed to come up with something I could actually tell her. Well, there was one angle that had always gnawed at my mind before. I wonder how true it really is.

"I don't think you're in love with me."

"What? How can you say that?"

"Why are you here?"

"I don't know! I just woke up here."

"And why do you think you're here, rather than in our school, as before?"

"Huh? Hmm..."

She jumped down on the ground and started pacing. At least now she was trying to think, which was a great step up from just moping about. Now I just needed to recover from the shock of her actually listening to me, and following it with little hesitation.

"I have this feeling I need to do something. That's why there are no giants. They won't come until I'm done. But don't ask me how I know that. I just do."

That's a relief. I wonder if it's a good or bad thing that she's starting to realise just how much in control she really is, or at least how this world works. At the moment, I think she'd doubting herself too much to go forward with her plans. Whatever those plans are.

"Is this something you need to do alone?"

"No, you were right before. I was waiting for someone. Someone who called himself—"

"Don't tell me his name."

"Why not?"

I sort of liked having that name to bring up in the real life, even if she found out this wasn't just a dream. It was a trump card I didn't want to lose.

"It's not something I want to know. Besides, it's not like it's his real name anyway."

"You're right. It's not important. I was waiting for him, and yet you showed up. Why is that?"

"Is it me that you're in love with, or the idea of who I could be, based on him?"

She just stared at me as if I had told her she was adopted, and her real parents were alien time-travelling espers. I decided to take that moment to reinforce what I had told her before.

"I don't think you're in love with me, and I wouldn't accept it even if you claimed it to be true."

I wasn't sure I believed it myself, even if it had bothered me before. Now, it didn't bother me at all. I did know I didn't want her to be in love with me, though. If she was, it would have _consequences_, shall we say. I didn't get an answer to how she took that. Instead, she sat down, utterly confused, hands in her hair.

"I need to do something."

That's all she said before grabbing the chalk and started drawing. She wouldn't tell me what she was trying to say with her new design, but it was a little bit familiar. As it grew, I saw details of it I recognised, and details I knew wasn't there the other time. I wondered what it meant, so I pulled out my cellphone and took a picture for future reference.

"What does it say?"

Asking her couldn't hurt.

"I don't know, but it's my answer."

Answer to what? You're not making any sense.

Once she had said that, the symbols started to glow. Actually, I think it was the ground that was glowing, but the symbols were white, so they were just brighter. The light spread, and soon, there was nothing but light.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thus ends the seventh chapter of the story. I probably like writing these closed reality chapters more than I should. Possibly because I like the atmosphere there. If I could create them myself, I'd take a time-out from the world once in a while and just hang out there for a bit.

From this point, I can still pick either Ryoko's or Haruhi's route, but I now know which path I'll take, thanks to the characters. They just keep steaming ahead, without turning for any obstacles.

/ Another Duck


	9. Three Secrets

The Conflicts of Haruhi Suzumiya

A Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic.

Disclaimer: Haruhi Suzumiya and all related characters have been created by Haruhi without her knowledge. Tanigawa Nagaru wrote it all down.

Author's Notes:

Getting closer to the end, we are. After this chapter, there's only one left, and maybe a short epilogue if the next one isn't enough to tie off the plot. It's nice, for me, at least, to finally know how it's going to end. Now I can rest easy. You guys still have to wait. Muha.

/ Another Duck

* * *

Three Secrets

* * *

I woke up in the club room. Haruhi was there too, just coming to life. I looked out, remembering what had been going on before we fell asleep. It wasn't raining any more, but the skies were still grey. I would have guessed we remained in a sealed reality if it wasn't for the variation of greys in the clouds. The skies in those realities were a more uniform lack of colour.

"Hey, Haruhi, wake up."

"Hmm?"

"It's stopped raining now. Let's go home."

"Huh? Yeah, let's."

There was a distinct lack of life in her voice. I pretended not to notice, as I wasn't supposed to know what she had told me before. She was quiet all the way down the slope, and until we parted.

"See you tomorrow."

"Take care, Haruhi."

It was actually quite early, now that I looked at the clock, even if it was fairly dark due to the clouds. I just rounded a corner when I almost ran into someone. Ryoko. I was sure it was another of these "coincidences". I didn't believe in those as far as these supernatural people went.

"You disappeared from this world for a fifty-six minute period of time. Are you all right?"

Her voice wasn't steady. By that I mean by her standards, not a normal human's. However, her emotions were beginning to crack down on her composure to the point where anyone would notice it, if they knew how precisely she usually spoke.

"Don't worry. It's happened before. I got out of that just fine too."

"I am not used to worrying. It makes me want to do things I should not do."

"Worrying is part of being human. Don't worry about it."

"Your logic loops. I think I understand what you mean by it, though. Thank you. It calms my mind."

* * *

I wonder if the next day was normal or not, as Haruhi was rather silent. She hadn't acted normally, for her, the most recent time, so either she was changing, or it was just temporary. Though it wasn't as if she didn't have things on her mind that would easily explain this behaviour.

For the whole day, she didn't speak with me, and disappeared during the breaks as usual. It wasn't until I entered the club room after school I got a chance to talk with her. The other brigade members weren't there. Haruhi might have told them to not come.

She was clearly apprehensive. I had some idea of what was going on in her mind, thanks to her so-called dreams.

"Kyon?"

"What?"

"If I tell you one secret, will you tell me one?"

I was fairly certain I already knew whatever it was she was going to say. On the other hand, at this point, I knew she had to be hurting, so I decided to give her something, at least.

"But it has to be a secret of equal importance."

"I'll see what I can do."

She took a deep breath and steeled herself.

"I'm in love with you. Wait, don't say anything. I know those feelings aren't returned. I'm not the one you love."

I hadn't planned on interrupting her, but that was probably because I already knew what she was talking about, as I would likely have said something otherwise.

"I know she's special, and I'm not. I just want to know why. I really thought you would love me, but... why?"

Now that was a loaded question. There were several answers to that one. But first of all, it was clear she didn't accept what I told her back in the sealed reality. She was still insisting she wasn't special. I couldn't exactly be honest about why that was as far from the truth as inhumanly possible.

The truth about her question wasn't something I could answer either, for a completely different reason. The original cause for why I started looking at Ryoko the way I do was because Haruhi pushed me towards her. At several times, she also questioned my feelings for Ryoko. Without that, I'd probably never have realised exactly what I felt.

And the scary part, what I absolutely could not tell her, was that if I hadn't started taking a liking for Ryoko, those affections would likely go towards Haruhi herself. Yes, I can admit that now. I've denied myself even the thought of the possibility of it before, and I'm _good_ at denying, if I can say so myself. It was probably a major reason I stuck around the brigade in the first place. For all her faults, and for all my protests, I've always liked Haruhi.

But not enough.

If I told Haruhi that she was the one who ruined her own chances, for what otherwise would be a clean victory, she'd break completely. That was something I just didn't want to bring down on her. Maybe at some point in the future, but not now. Just like other secrets I kept from her.

"Do you want an honest answer, or do you want an answer you can accept?"

"I... I want an answer that makes sense to me."

This answer was make or break. Better make it break through her thick skull with enough force that she can't possibly deny it.

"Haruhi, you're special, but... Ryoko is an alien."

Naturally, it wasn't the real answer, even if it was technically true in itself. However, it was what Haruhi would understand and accept. I hoped.

"Oh. I see. That makes sense."

There was a definite finality in her words. Did she finally accept reality? And would she even believe me about Ryoko? If she did believe me, what would happen to reality? There was only one way to find out: Wait.

I did have faith in her, though. It wouldn't change the way she saw the world if she found out the person she thought was supernatural actually was. This much I trusted her.

Is this how she's meant to grow up? Grow up, and learn responsibility with her powers? I suppose that she would eventually find out about them, but I could never imagine how it would happen. Was this the first step? It was an intriguing thought.

"I'm not going to bother either of you about that. It's enough that I know."

The strangest part about it all was that she didn't sound the least bit sad. I knew she had to be, but none of it showed, and I didn't know she could hide her emotions that well. Was she over it? And had she given up on searching for aliens?

"It gives me hope, though."

"Why is that?"

"If there are aliens, there might just as well be espers and time-travellers. I just need to find them."

I had to smile at that. Her normally ever-present enthusiasm was returning. That was the girl I remained in the brigade for.

"Maybe you'll even fine an esper boy you like."

I knew Koizumi dated her in the other world, more or less. There was a great chance the same could happen in this world too. If it was for my sake he didn't in this world, which I wouldn't count out, there would be one less reason for him to stay away. And if it didn't work out that way, so what? The chance is there, and nothing is ever certain.

Funny enough, I realised that if I had thought the same thoughts before, I'd have gotten jealous of him, or something like that. I didn't like it when people hit on Haruhi. Now, with Koizumi, I find that I don't mind it at all. Or maybe I'm just eagerly anticipating all the trouble he'll have to go through with her? That would certainly be amusing.

"Maybe I will."

I hoped that was the end of troubles she went through, at least regarding this subject. It would certainly calm things down a little on my end. However, I wouldn't mind it terribly if she dragged me out on more adventures. I had come to enjoy them. Or at least, I'd miss them if I couldn't go on any more.

"There's one thing I want to say, though."

She raised a finger as if to make a point.

"What's that?"

"I told you so."

She stuck out her tongue in a gesture of victory.

* * *

It was Sunday, and for once, Haruhi didn't hold any activities. Maybe she was trying to recover emotionally, maybe she just wanted to give me some time off. Either way, I planned to make use of it. I went out the door, and standing right there was Ryoko. I hadn't called her, but she was definitely included in my plans.

"Hey. How long have you been waiting there? All night?"

I wouldn't be surprised if she had.

"No. Not for long."

Even if she said that, I wasn't sure what her definition of, "not for long", implied. Anyway, I was glad to see her.

"Did you just want to see me, or do you have any plans?"

"My plans involve taking you out for lunch, and then spend some time basking in your presence."

"Hmm. There's a flaw in that plan, so I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"Do you have something else you're planning to do? Because I can't see anything that would make those plans faulty."

"That's because you don't understand human customs. Let's change that to me taking you out for lunch, and we have a deal."

"That doesn't make sense. Economically, it's better that I pay, since I have access to more funds."

"As I said, it just isn't proper to let you pay for it. As the guy, I'm supposed to pay for you."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

I didn't like it when she used my own words against me. Mostly because it was often effective. I mean, my words were always reasonable.

"However proper you think it is, I cannot let you put yourself at a disadvantage. It is simply impossible for me to go along with your plan."

In the end, she did pay for our meals. When she put her mind to it, she was as stubborn as a robot with one command and no reverse gear. On the other hand, if she was happy with it, so was I. Bantering was one thing, but arguing was something I didn't want to get into unless there was an actual need for it. This wasn't it.

The park we walked in was one I recognised as being rather close to her home. In fact, if it wasn't for some trees, we would've been able to see the building from here. For some strange reason, we were all alone. It was just perfect, in my opinion. No annoying people to disturb us. Wait, I was probably going to regret saying those words. Someone always showed up when you said that.

No one showed up immediately, though.

"I'm glad I decided to return to Earth."

"So that was your own decision?"

"Yes. Even if we are one collective, we are also individuals. It's not something I can explain so you would understand properly, so please don't feel bad if you can't relate to it."

"No, it's okay. Wasn't it like that with emotions for you before you got your own experience?"

She gave me a radiant smile.

"That's a good comparison. There's so much I've learned. I'm not yet sure what use this information will have for the Integrated Data Thought Entity, but it is most enjoyable for me during my stay here."

"Erm, how long is your stay, anyway?"

"I'm authorised to stay here until I have no purpose to remain. To answer your implied question, I'm not going anywhere as long as you're here."

Perceptive and blunt. That's a dangerous combination. However, it's also one of the best things about her. No need to explain things needlessly, no need to ask her for clarifications. What more could a guy want? She already had a nice body and a personality to match.

"I know I've been pushy, especially back when you still didn't like me, so I want to apologise for that. It was the only way I could get close to you, and you were the person whose knowledge I sought."

"You don't need to apologise. The end result was good, wasn't it?"

"I'm glad you think that. It was only for your consideration I asked for the restriction to not be able to harm you."

"There's only one problem with that."

"What's that?"

I decided that a demonstration was in order. I leaned towards her, and gave her a peck on the lips. Her cheeks turned a pleasant shade of red.

"I see your point. However, that is a sacrifice I'm prepared to make, if it means I can be close to you."

"It's not one I'm prepared to make, though. I hereby release—"

"Wait! What if... what if I get too consumed by my emotions and cause a control error? I could injure you."

Just by hearing her say that I could tell her control was failing. She would never stutter or repeat herself like that otherwise, nor would her speech pattern fall back so much. It was a sign that her emotions were real.

"Ryoko, I trust you. Besides, if you're striving to feel all the emotions a human can, you can't have those limits on yourself. If there's a risk, it's one I'm prepared to take."

"That... that is an action you would take for me?"

"I would. As I was saying, I hereby release you of your restrictions towards me."

"I'm happy that—ah!"

She grabbed her head and staggered back several paces, before straightening up. She did look like her usual happy self, but there was something off about it.

"I'm glad you did that. I can now proceed with my original plan. I still believe that killing you would cause an interesting reaction in Haruhi Suzumiya."

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thus ends the ninth chapter of the story. Don't we all love cliffhangers? Climbing in mountains is fun, after all. If you're not afraid of heights, that is. And if you have sufficiently strong arms for your weight.

I must say, I don't really like doing that to Haruhi, but at the same time, I wouldn't like doing the same to Ryoko either. So I did something worse to her, in a manner of speaking. Compromises are good, ne?

/ Another Duck


	10. Two Words

The Conflicts of Haruhi Suzumiya

A Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic.

Disclaimer: Haruhi Suzumiya and all related characters have been created by Haruhi without her knowledge. Tanigawa Nagaru wrote it all down.

Author's Notes:

Other than the epilogue, this is the last chapter. I probably won't write a longer epilogue than the prologue, though.

/ Another Duck

* * *

Two Words

* * *

"I'm glad you did that. I can now proceed with my original plan. I still believe that killing you would cause an interesting reaction in Haruhi Suzumiya."

Wait, what? She's back to wanting to kill me? Didn't she already have the opportunity that time before, in the classroom where she could've hit me as hard as she wanted? Why wait? Why now?

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me. The conditions for a hidden trigger in my system have been realised, so I'm running the related procedure now."

She explained with a voice that made it sound so simple, and yet, it didn't make much sense to me. So many questions were running through my mind that I hard a hard to time even picking out one of them to voice.

"A procedure?"

"Yes. It inserts my new experiences in my knowledge database, and then rolls back the active configuration tables to their original values."

"Why would you even... Was there any point in trying to fool me in the first place if you just wanted to kill me anyway?"

"If I had not done this, I would not have been able to return here. I was under too much surveillance to come here without any major restrictions. But now I can kill you freely and collect data from Haruhi Suzumiya."

"But you could have killed me when I asked you to hit me."

"The first plan was to see if I could get a reaction out of Haruhi Suzumiya by starting to date you. This is the second plan. But until now, I was unaware of the routines I had hidden, so I could not consciously act on a plan I didn't know about. If I hadn't hid them from myself, I wouldn't have been able to get past our security."

Was that all a lie? All feelings, our relationship, was it all a lie?

I had begun backing away while she was talking. Like before, she held a knife in her hand; I only just noticed it.

The calm and confident look in her eyes briefly gave way for a pondering one as her brows furrowed.

"It's odd, though. Why would I want to explain this to you? You're going to die anyway, so anything I tell you will just be wasted knowledge."

I had heard it before, but her carefree voice was so chilling as she spoke of such gruesome things. It was nothing I could ever get used to, and I prayed to God I would never have the need to.

"You must still have your emotions from before! You don't really want to do this!"

"Oh, I really do want you to die. I just don't have time to reset all data to my original state, so there are still memory leaks I need to take care of when I can. To do it instantly, I need to be able to access procedures at a higher level than I have permission for at this time."

That's right. She did say something about her data access clearance when she first explained everything. Seems she stepped on her own toes this time. Not that it would help me much; I was still on Charon's boat.

"But if you at least want me to understand this, you must have some reservations for it."

"That's just superfluous data. I'll delete that next time maintenance is scheduled. But now I mustn't delay any longer."

She charged at me, knife raised to strike. On instinct, I dodged forward, on the outside of her knife arm. It was obvious she didn't expect resistance, as while her move looked graceful, it wasn't very effective, and it made it easy for me to slide behind her.

I did the only thing I could think of. She was much stronger than I was if she tried, so using physical force was out of the question. However, she did have one weakness, and I prayed to whatever god was listening that it still worked.

I jammed my fingers up the side of her shirt and tried to tickle her. It worked. She jerked a little and gave out a brief yelp, losing her solid stance on the ground, enough so I could put all my weight behind me and shove her forward. Then I ran.

"I'm not surprised that you want to live, but you have to realise it's useless to resist, even if this area isn't in the scope of my data control. But I must give you credit for managing to put me off balance. You're still going to die, but it does make it more fun."

For you, perhaps. Had I not been in such a panicked state of mind, I might have reflected upon those words. Her old self would never have done anything for fun. In this case, it gave me an advantage. Who knows how this would have turned out if she hadn't taken a liking to me and changed so much?

She was already close on my tail, and swinging before I could move out of the way. I turned around and raised my arms to try to block at least the worst of it, but even so, I held little hope that it would work very well.

It sort of worked, but it didn't put me at an advantage. Instead of killing me, she only sliced my leg. That effectively stopped my ability to run. Again. Did she have anything against me running or something?

"If you don't resist it will be less painful for you. I can't imagine how much that would hurt."

It didn't hurt that much, actually, although the amount of adrenaline flowing in my blood probably had something to do with that. But now I was unable to run, and she swung her arm again; this time she would manage to stab me no matter what I could do.

The blow never connected. In front of me stood Yuki Nagato, and Ryoko had been pushed a couple of metres aside. I didn't know where she came from, and I didn't particularly care. She saved my life. Again.

Ryoko's eyelids lowered ever so slightly — was she disappointed? — but her voice betrayed no change in emotion, other than perhaps even more determination than she showed before.

"I wanted to avoid this. Yuki Nagato, you beat me last time, but this time I come prepared. Commencing Data Flood."

Almost as soon as she said that, Nagato froze for a moment, then collapsed. At first I was worried something really bad had happened, but her eyes were still open, and they weren't dead.

"Oh, don't worry. She's just a little preoccupied at the moment, and won't be joining us for the next half an hour or so. It depends on how quickly she breaks out of my little trap, but I wouldn't expect you to survive long enough to find out."

Not that I wasn't grateful for what she just accomplished, but I'd be so much happier if Nagato had stayed with me a little longer. If she was taken out that quickly, what chances did I have? Hopefully, Ryoko just didn't consider me as much of a treat as Nagato.

With her out of commission, I was alone to protect myself. I couldn't run either with my leg injured, and even if I could, she would likely just stop me in my tracks anyway. I turned around to face Ryoko. I would at least look her into her eyes if she was going to kill me.

"That's better. Just stop running and let me kill you. Haruhi Suzumiya's reaction should be interesting to observe. We'll be able to gather a lot of data from that."

There was something about her that was off. This time I mean off from her insane side, not her caring side. She was just like last time she tried to kill me, but there was one thing that differed. There were tears in her eyes. Why didn't I see that before?

"Do you really want to kill me? Is this what you want?"

She advanced, and she was now within striking range. Her face showed no more emotion than a content tin can. But it was leaking. Could I crack it open?

"This is not about what I want. This is about what is the best for us."

By _us_, she didn't refer to the two of us. No, she meant her creators, or whatever they were. I expected her attack, so I managed to dodge it. However, with my leg hurt, I stumbled back and fell on my behind. Now I really couldn't run. At least she seemed to slow down, knowing that very thing. I was conflicted over if that was a good or bad feeling, relatively speaking.

Her argument had changed, come to think of it. Before, she said she wanted to kill me, but now she said she did what was best for them. She wasn't saying she wanted to any more. She basically said she'd do it whether she liked it or not. But would she really? How much of her was still the Ryoko I loved? How much was left of the individual Ryoko Asakura?

"I don't care! I care about _you_."

Finally. Her expression changed, showing some of the concern I've seen before, when she started getting her emotions. She was still in there. Was she trapped in her own body, by a malicious program? Could she break free?

"I don't want..."

As it had never been there, she returned to her previous, cold-but-happy, personality.

"It doesn't matter. Your death is required."

I knew she was in there, though. Somewhere inside that calculating killing machine was the girl I've fallen in love with. She may not have been human, but she was human enough. It didn't matter, though. She brought her knife towards my throat, getting closer and closer.

"Do you understand that I will _die_ if you kill me? Do you understand what that means?"

It was so obvious I shouldn't have mentioned it, but for some reason, she stopped. It was one of those things she had told me she was looking for an answer to. And now seemed to be the first time she considered the actual meaning of it. Her mouth opened, words coming through great effort.

"Stop..."

Her hand shook as her knife closed in on me.

"Kill... me."

I knew her emotions sometimes halted her thought process, or at least slowed it down. She was going to end my life me, and there was nothing she could do about it. What she could do was give me a second to do something about it myself. She entrusted her will into my hands.

At an instant, I found my arm stretched out towards her. In my hand was the knife she'd given me that first day of her return. The blade pierced her chest just below her throat. As I looked at the weapon, it crystallised and dissipated into the air, its job done.

A silent gasp was etched on her face as her arm fell down, limp, soon followed by the rest of her body. At that point, I couldn't do more than hold her close. I turned her head towards me, and I saw a beautiful smile and sparkling eyes.

"Thank you."

Her eyes closed and her face relaxed. She wasn't breathing, but she could survive that. Right? She wasn't human, after all, and she only used her last breath to say those words. No, an alien like her could take a lot more before she perished. I only had to give her the command to awaken.

"Wake up."

Her eyes didn't open.

Maybe she just had to recover a bit. I've seen Yuki do that. It'll take her a minute or two, at most, then she'll be up and running. Just hopefully not running knives through me, though at this point, it would almost be preferable compared to not waking up at all.

"Wake up."

Still no response. I had waited a few minutes at that time. It was hard to tell, though. Time doesn't pass normally when you've just been on an emotional roller coaster. She just laid there, her head slumped to the side.

"Wake up..."

I shook her shoulders, to see if that would help. It didn't. I slapper her cheek gently, or maybe not so gently, as I started to panic.

"Wake up!"

She didn't wake up. Nothing I did woke her up. She was gone.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thus ends the tenth chapter of the story. Only the short epilogue remains. How will Kyon deal with his loss? This wasn't actually something I expected to happen, but at this point, the story wrote itself. That's the major reason it's so short. Anything extra I tried to throw in just obscured the real story, and disrupted the pacing. I just couldn't have Ryoko talking even more than she already was.

/ Another Duck


	11. Epilogue: No Regrets

The Conflicts of Haruhi Suzumiya

A Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic.

Disclaimer: Haruhi Suzumiya and all related characters have been created by Haruhi without her knowledge. Tanigawa Nagaru wrote it all down.

Author's Notes:

What happened to these notes? I'm sure I wrote some before. I always do.

/ Another Duck

* * *

No Regrets

* * *

The following day was a pain, to say the least. And I'm not talking about my leg, even if that hurt a lot too. Not that anything in particular happened, but the entire class was a mess. Without Ryoko, and the rumours around her absence, people were bugging me all day about what happened. Not that anyone actually knew, but since the rumours were that she was at the hospital, and I had been hurt as well, they did draw the dots they could. Of course, they did so correctly, as I was as involved as anyone could ever be, but couldn't they just realise I didn't want to talk about it?

Yesterday, I stabbed a person I loved. And now I don't know what will happen to her. I don't know how long I sat there, cradling her still body, but after a time, a black van drove up. Out of it came a few people I recognised.

One was Koizumi. He quickly ran over to Nagato to check up on her. At this point, she was beginning to stir. I could make that out in the midst of my blurry vision. I wasn't worried about her, though naturally I felt sympathy for her. Even if Ryoko at the time was hell-bent on killing me, she had no reason to lie about Nagato's condition. Was it weird that I still trusted Ryoko after all this?

The second person was Kimidori. She walked up to Ryoko and myself rather calmly, as if she knew that everything was going to be all right. Or that it was already too late. I couldn't tell. She only told me Ryoko would be taken care of. Then she picked her up and left for the van.

Only Koizumi and Nagato remained when the vehicle drove away. Koizumi said something about what they were going to do to Ryoko. If I had thought about it some more, I would have found it strange that the two factions were cooperating this much. Maybe it was due to the threat they both felt Ryoko posed, and to make sure she ceased to be one.

For some reason, I found my way to the clubroom once school ended, even if I didn't want to be there. It just felt like the thing to do. I set the crutches aside and sat down at the table as usual. It was strange, though. The only one there was Haruhi, and I couldn't make sense of her either. She had been silent the entire day, so I had assumed she would jump on the rumour mill as soon as she got me alone. Yet, she remained quiet.

I'm not sure how long time passed, but at some point, Haruhi sighed loudly. She rose up, went over to me and pulled out my chair while I still sat there.

"Just go visit your girlfriend already."

"She's not my—"

"Go! Before I change my mind."

Wait, now wasn't the time to deny that. She was my girlfriend, no matter how you looked at it. Old habits die hard, I suppose.

"Thank you."

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I've ever thanked Haruhi for anything. I've certainly never given her a hug. If the situation was any different, I might have laughed at her surprised yelp, or the way she blushed. Or if things were even more different, maybe even some other reaction. However, those were not the realities we were in now, and I rushed out as fast as I could, which wasn't very, thanks to my limping.

* * *

The less said about the painful process of making my way over to the hospital, the better. With one functioning leg, it took me a few times longer than it should have, and a lot more effort.

While I never found out where Koizumi and Asahina had been, rather than in the club room, I did find out where Nagato was. She was with Ryoko. Or as things were now, waiting at the hospital, probably for me.

"Yo."

"..."

Always comforting.

"Do you know how she is?"

"Emiri Kimidori is with her right now. She can give you a full report in twenty minutes. You should not enter before that."

"Oh, I see. Say, Nagato, there's one thing I've always wanted to say to you."

"..."

"I'm grateful that you're always looking out for me. Thank you, and I'm sorry I caused you pain again. I'm in your debt."

"No. We are even. We have always been even. That is a balance you can't break."

I didn't know exactly what she meant by that, but I liked the sentiment nonetheless. I tried asking her about it, but she didn't say a word after that. I resigned myself to waiting the remaining nineteen minutes. At least I wasn't alone.

* * *

It took about an hour, if I had guessed the time myself. The clock had another opinion, though. Kimidori was inside, just as Nagato had said.

"How is she?"

There was no use in holding off on the questions.

"She's currently still paralysed. The knife you stabbed her with inhibits her normal restoration process, so her body will heal at the same rate yours would."

"How long will it take?"

"Not too long. She should be able to leave the hospital in a few days at most, when her nerves have grown together again. At the moment she's conscious, but she can't speak, as only her face is not paralysed."

I looked over at the injured girl. Her eyes were aimed at me, and she was smiling. Even if she was unable to do more than that, I felt relieved. She would be all right. Maybe not right now, but eventually. It was enough for me. I almost lifted from the ground when the weight got off my shoulders. It would be even better if I could actually speak with her, though.

I got an idea. I reached for my cellphone, but as soon as I did that, it rang. The name of the caller was Ryoko Asakura. I had to smile at that. She had the same idea I did. Or maybe she understood what I intended when I reached for the phone. I pulled out the ear plug and hooked it up.

"Hey there."

"Hello!"

Her voice had a slightly lower sound quality to it than it used to have, but I had never spoken with her on the phone before, despite that I've had her number for a long time now. And she obviously had mine.

She was still happy. That was easy to tell. And not the sort of selfish happiness as when she tried to kill me, but much more genuine happiness.

"I have an answer to your question from before."

"Which one?"

"I wouldn't have liked it if you tried to kill me, but I would have liked it more than if I killed you. You gave me some first-hand experience with that."

"I'm sorry. I just couldn't think of anything else to do at the time."

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I've tried to kill you, twice now. I'm grateful that you found a better solution. If you decide you want nothing to do with me, I would understand."

"I don't know exactly what happened, and your alien friends wouldn't tell me either, but as far as I understood it, there was a program that took you over, forcing you to act like you did."

"That may be true, but I'm still the one who created it. I even erased my knowledge of it so I would be unable to lie about its existence. Everything is my fault. Kimidori and Nagato have erased all traces of that program, and searched my entire memory for any possible data that could cause me to do anything similar again. I'm clean now."

She said that almost as if she was on a meeting for recovering drug addicts. Maybe the analogy wasn't that far off either. There was one question I had to have an answer to, that I couldn't get off my mind since yesterday.

"Was everything just an act?"

"Nothing was an act. I honestly wanted to learn more about human emotions and concepts. What went wrong, or perhaps went right as you would say, was that I didn't anticipate that the emotions I learned would take over my priorities."

"I would agree with that. I'm glad you malfunctioned."

"Could you please use a different word? There is nothing wrong with me, my physical body notwithstanding. Events just did not happen as I had planned them."

Despite everything, I had to smirk at that.

"I don't think I've seen you offended before."

"I am not offended. You are just using improper terminology, and I wish to correct you."

I'm sure she would've crossed her arms if she could. As it was, she could only put on a slightly displeased frown. I decided to let her off the hook this time.

"Once you get back on your feet, what can I expect?"

"I should be back to the same standard as before the sub program executed."

"What of the restrictions?"

"They're back, and I don't want you to remove them. You may think I can't be human enough with them, but I wouldn't be human anyway, and they do add a flaw to my system. Aren't humans supposed to be flawed?"

"Frankly, I don't care if you're not human for my sake. You're you, and that's what matters."

"I'm glad. And even if I won't like it, feel free to abuse those flaws. I'm telling you that so you won't feel apprehensive about them, if you accidentally or wilfully trigger them."

"I've been wondering, do you regret writing that program?"

I hadn't, really, but I wanted to hear her say that, even if I knew what it was.

"Don't be silly. You should know what I feel by now. I've learned a lot about regret, and this is something I would never regret. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to change the way I have."

I smiled. That reminded me of many love troubles I've read about. One in the pair started a relationship on false grounds, but eventually they start feeling real love. Then, the other one finds out about those false grounds, and the entire relationship breaks down.

I'm in that situation myself now, and I can't really see why it would break the relationship down. I mean, why dig yourself into the mistakes of the past when the present holds true love, and in fact would never have existed without those mistakes?

No, there was nothing to forgive for me.

"I love you, and I don't care about what you've done against me in the past, as long as your current feelings are genuine."

"They are, and they match yours. I was surprised to fall in love with you, but I never once looked back."

I sat on the side of her bed for a long while in silence. We didn't need any words at that time. When I looked down on my cellphone, and remembered something. A picture I took in the sealed reality.

"Do you know what this means?"

I showed her what Haruhi had drawn on the ground in her old school yard.

"It means, 'I will remain here.' What's the significance of it?"

I smiled. I think Haruhi had stopped trying to run away from this world at that time, and try to live in it, no matter what faults she found in it.

"It means that the world won't end."

As if on cue, a knock on the door was followed by a girl with a wide smile and slightly red but equally smiling eyes. Haruhi.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to tell your girlfriend here something. Do you mind waiting outside?"

If she asked that nicely, I wouldn't mind.

"She can't speak at the moment. Is that a problem?"

"None at all."

I went out and waited. Kimidori was no longer there, nor was Nagato. Maybe they went home, with their job done. It didn't even take a minute until Haruhi came out of the room.

"I'm done. You can have your girlfriend back now."

"What did you tell her?"

"Ask her, if she wants to tell you."

I went inside, and Haruhi probably left. Ryoko looked, for lack of a better word, concerned. It wasn't something I was used to seeing on her face.

"Why are you biting your lip?"

"I've seen humans do it, so I was trying to see if it helped with thinking. I find that it takes up a minor amount of computing power, but at the same time, it reduces distracting thoughts."

"So, what's on your mind?"

"Did Suzumiya find out about what I really am?"

"I sort of told her that, yes."

"I was informed that it was not likely she'd believe that, even if you did say it directly, and that you had tried that before. Why do you think she believed you this time?"

"I was thinking about that too. The last time I told her, she said it couldn't be that easy. This time, it certainly hasn't been easy for her, so maybe she just has lost enough for it to be plausible to get something in return. But why do you think she believed me, anyway? She claimed she believed me, but it didn't strike me as if she truly meant that."

"She told me, 'If you ever hurt Kyon, it would be safest if you left this planet.'"

* * *

Author's Notes:

Thus ends the story. Like I was really going to kill her off. Actually, that was one of the potential plot development for a large part of the writing process, and I hadn't decided if it would end with Ryoko/Kyon, Haruhi/Kyon, or neither, until the last few chapters, even if I had plans for all of them. That decision was made by the characters, as I went with what felt the most natural once everything else was written.

I've come to the conclusion that Ryoko is a fun character to write, but also a hard one. In this fic, she developed her own personality, much thanks to spending a lot of time with Kyon. That's why her sense of humour turned out the way it did, being notably rough around the edges in the beginning, and becoming a little better later on. I also just can't see her get angry. She's much too reasonable for that, which also cuts out some potential drama. Kyon isn't much of a drama person either, which makes the swings very subdued.

Overall, I tried to develop the plot mainly with dialogue rather than with action, although there's a bit of action too, especially in the last chapter. While Kyon does spell a lot of things out, I tried to make at least some parts more subtle, or just not comment on them. Examples include which name Kyon uses for Ryoko, parts of her speech pattern, and a lot of Haruhi's development and thoughts (until fairly late, anyway).

One plot point I didn't go into much detail with was the "I just want to be human" plot many non-humans go through, usually robots or "emotionless" clones. Apparently, being themselves isn't good enough. This was one of the reasons she survived, along with that it allowed Kyon to forgive her despite several reasons speaking against it, and without the cop-out of forgiving someone who isn't there anyway (and thus can't cause any further harm).

For those of you who didn't see it coming that Ryoko survived, remember the law of conservation of detail: Don't include more than what's necessary for the plot. In the first chapter (excluding prologue), she explained exactly how to kill her, which left an obvious room for her survival. Pays to pay attention, ne?

If anyone want to discuss the story, or anything else, send me a message. I respond to all reviews with content.

/ Another Duck


End file.
